Power of the Dark Arts
by The Emerald Oinker
Summary: Voldemort craves the Key to the Dark dimension to get the ultimate Dark knowledge. He uses the young son of his most loyal subject as a puppet, but he doesn't realise that the evil he thinks he controls has a mind of its own... (PG for later chptrs)
1. Reflections and Refractions

Power of the Dark Arts Preinstall Normal Preinstall 2 9 2001-11-10T00:39:00Z 2001-11-10T00:39:00Z 7 3340 19041 158 38 23383 9.2720 

(Green_Pig:- I've spent a lot of time on this, I was inspired to write a Draco fic by _Static_ and his excellent story _"Voices"_ which made me look at Draco in a completely new way!  So far I am enjoying writing about this more than _"An Orphan's Dreams"_ because AOD just takes too long to write as I made it far too descriptive to be continued easily…ahem, well I don't know how long this whole story is going to be but the first chapter is about 6 pages and I hope you enjoy reading it because I loved writing it and will do so for a long time.  Thank you for listening to my pointless words, oh and do read the stories my friend _I.C. Fire_ has written, they are very good and she'll probably kill me for saying this, but I think any Snape fans out there will like her fanfics _"Shadows and Dust"_ and _"Natural Veritaserum"_ very much… ^_~)

**DISCLAIMER:** Almost all characters and settings are copyright of J.K. Rowling, the brilliant person who created Harry Potter on that train ride the day she began writing one of the greatest children's novels in the world.  ::Hats off to J.K!!!::

Power of the Dark Arts

Chapter One

Reflections and Refractions

Draco Malfoy regarded himself as one of those people others would have to always look to, always at his feet ready to do his bidding.  When his father walked the world people stepped out of his way and did what they were told because he had status, of course the money and the far superior upbringing helped.  Draco wanted his life to be like that but better; he wanted to inherit his father's wealth as soon as possible and find a nice woman to marry and then have his own fine son to learn how to be just like him.  It was what his father, Lucius Malfoy, had always told him he wanted to do at his age.  It ran in the family - wanting to grow rich and powerful in the world and squash those who rebelled against you.  Yes, life was grand to him and soon it would become even grander for he had only one year left at Hogwarts and after his graduation he would inherit almost half their land and have a job in the Ministry.  It was all sorted, his father had it figured out long before he was born: A fine son just like him to work in the Ministry and gain the respect and trust of the people.  It was Lucius' dream to have Draco become the greatest wizard ever, maybe even run the Ministry right at the top in less than a few years and have his own son growing up under his strong arm.

Term was over, the holiday would start as soon as he got home.  At this time of year, travelling back to King's Cross station Draco liked to just sit and look out the window and reflect on how well he had done the last year.  He had embarrassed Potter and his two stupid friends at the Halloween ball with that ridiculous new curse he found the week before in the restricted section of the library.  He was glad no one found out who performed it because it wasn't exactly bad, just very mean and a bit complicated to perform right without making it all go horribly wrong.  When they walked about with the rest of their stupid Gryffindor friends he had quite masterly he thought, performed the curse that turned their heads into donkeys for three minutes and then afterwards made harmless bumble bees buzz out from their ears.  Potter and Weasley were bright red and fuming at him, though he put on an innocent face that saved him from punishment that day.  Hermione Granger was trying to hide her burning red face full of embarrassed tears inside her robes and all the while no one suspected him at all.  The teachers were ordering everyone to forget about the incident and although no one answered or owned up they told the whole school off for letting whoever it was get away with such a trick, he had to admit though that during those few moments he was feeling very worried that someone would have found out and afterwards regretted doing it because feeling such dread was not an emotion he like to feel.  Now though, he had to admit it was very funny.

The train rolled on, Crabbe and Goyle were asleep opposite him sitting next to each other with their arms folded across their chests and frowns on their faces, even when they slept they looked menacing and ready to fight.  Draco despised having them around really but at least he had some bodyguards, that, most people his age couldn't say they had.  It made him feel very privileged and proud of his wealth.  If you weren't rich, what was the point in living?

He stretched out his arms above his head and yawned long.  Less than an hour at most until the train was back at King's Cross station, then he could return to his fantastic home with all the luxuries he had missed at Hogwarts.  No more silly little children getting in your way, no more Potter and the Weasleys to annoy him and no more Granger to out-do him in class.  Since third year when she had struck him, he never really felt right and that had been worrying him ever since.  When she came down the corridor on her own he'd remember that slap and feel incredible embarrassment welling up inside him, anger too, because she seemed to be more confident around him.  Trying to make her cry had been steadily growing harder and really he only resorted to turning their heads into donkeys because he just _had_ to do something to make them the subject of everyone's uncontrollable laughter.  It seemed to have lowered her confidence anyway, which was a good thing no doubt.

He turned back to the window and blankly watched the trees and hills drift by, he stopped thinking about all that he had done to his enemies and tried not to think about his appalling exam results.  When he'd get home he knew his father would be angry and his mother wouldn't stand in the way of Lucius' decisions, she'd just agree to whatever he said.  No mother should act like that, if they were normal caring mothers.  Maybe that was why he hated the Weasleys so much, aside from their lack of money and stupid common behaviour, maybe the reason why he dislike them so much was because at least they had a large family with two loving parents always there behind them.  It was, just so unfair the whole thing.  Why did he always have to act the way he did, why did his parents always put everyone's bad parenting down when theirs was worse, they never noticed him really, they never took the time to sit down and talk or go out on holiday somewhere to get to know each other.  Always disappearing at night on some urgent business, always away and never at home to welcome him properly after being away for a year.

They were such heartless people.

People were running about laughing and greeting their younger brothers and sisters, exchanging presents they bought at Hogsmeade and telling humorous stories about their last year to their parents.  Owls hooted in their cages to other owls, cats purred and some fought for attention of their owners.  A toad hopped between the legs of many closely followed by one Neville Longbottom apologising to everyone as he squeezed through the crowd.  Above the sea of heads, steam from the Hogwarts express was blanketing the air and all Draco could see as he stepped down from the train onto the platform was happy people rushing about, jumping, laughing, walking away with their families through the barrier of platform 9 ¾ back to the Muggle world.  Poor families – the commoners - always went through there because they couldn't afford the expense of reserving a handy Portkey home – like him.

Crabbe and Goyle as always stood either side of him wheeling their trunks down, handing Draco the handle of his own and nodded business-like at him before leaving and joining their parents further down the platform.  The train whistled loud as a reminder to everyone to get all their belongings before it left in five minutes time, Draco strolled off with dignity past the crowd ignoring them all and getting to the Portkey booth at the farthest end of the platform, he didn't see Harry Potter or his friend Ron Weasley, Hermione had already left through the barrier to meet her Muggle parents and everyone else Draco couldn't care less about were either gone or ignoring him just as much as he was them.

The Portkey booth was probably no bigger than a small shed, inside, a middle aged man Draco had learned to be called Kandiks Hifflers – rather unusual name he thought – sat on his little stool before a desk piled high with forms and papers.  Kandiks was tanned, from somewhere in the Mediterranean perhaps and had short black hair neatly cut.  He always had something in his mouth, chewing a matchstick one day or a cigarette in it the other, but he didn't look silly, Draco thought he'd rather suit working in a high office building as the head boss, leaning back on a leather chair with his feet upon the desk, arms folded behind his head and with a cigar at the side of his mouth wearing that same old expression as if he was always ready to sell you something from the inside of his shabby old leather jacket.  When Draco came in he sat bolt upright removing his feet from the desk – as Draco suspected where they might have been – and grinned widely at him.

"Where are you going then?"

"Oxford."

"Right away sir," Kandiks got up and pulled open a curtain to reveal a shelf with five cups sitting on top.  They were uninteresting, cracked or chipped in places and had awful little designs painted on.  "Oxford's this one." He pointed to the third cup from the left that was painted blue with three white daisies, next to it was a little card saying quite clearly:

Tap once with your index finger for Oxford, with your thumb for Aylesbury and with your little finger for Witney.

"I thought with Portkeys you touched them and they took you to one place only."

"It's a new system, the Ministry put them on every Portkey here so that you have more choice and room to put more Portkeys on one shelf.  We have around ten now but hopefully by next year I'll have maybe twenty, prices will go down and then there'll be more people coming in for a shortcut home.  Who knows, in five years time I'll have to get a bigger booth and actually bother to clean up.  Maybe a little waiting room and the Portkeys behind shiny glass cases with proper labels on." Kandik's eyes started to glaze over and Draco decided to ask what he had been wondering for a while now.

"How long have you had this job, Mr Hifflers isn't it?"

"That's right, I come here at the end of the year and the beginning of a new one, showing people out and welcoming people back, I really don't sit here all my life you know.  I have a job elsewhere – in a Muggle office building writing forms and replying to letters." Draco nodded.

"Very well, if that is what you want to do with your life Mr Hifflers, I will not bother to put forth my own opinion of the matter.  Have you received an owl from my father yet?"

"Right here, he sent it about half an hour ago stating he's at the landing site now waiting for you.  Just follow the instructions there and you can go." Without saying thank you at all, rather instead he nodded politely Draco reread the note, tapped the cup to Oxford once with his index finger and still holding on tightly to his trunk he was sucked in leaving the platform and Portkey booth behind him with Kandiks seating himself back down again and making a note on his papers for the record.

Draco was thrown forward onto the ground, he landed standing but the thrust made him stagger and topple over to lie on the dry clean cut grass.  He was home.  The Malfoy Mansion in Oxford was less than a mile away and standing by a bench was Lucius Malfoy waiting impatiently for him.  Draco stood up brushing down his Hogwarts robes that he didn't change out of on the train.  Most children dressed themselves in Muggle clothes before getting off so that they could go home without getting funny looks from the Muggles, but Draco and the rest of the Malfoys disliked Muggles a lot and refused to change into anything slightly Muggle.  They were in a park surrounded by high trees and summer flowers blooming around, Draco walked to his father with his trunk feeling shaken smiling.

"Hello Father, how are you?"

"Welcome home Draco, now come with me."

"Just a moment, I've got to get the Portkey." He turned round to pick up the cup that should have come with him.  It wasn't there.

"The Ministry's new system." Lucius explained behind him.  "You only have to tap the Portkeys at the platform and you are automatically sent here, no waiting for specific times, no hanging around and when you arrive the things stays where you left off.  All nice and neat.  How did you get here then?"

"An old blue mug.  The shelf was full of them back there." He laughed turning back and walking away beside Lucius.  "This is much better than the old system!" He said. "When did they come up with it?"

"I did." Lucius said rather smugly.

"Well done!"

"I said it was time we got them sorted out; far too much trouble at times and I've apparently saved the Ministry a lot of time and money – I've been promoted and have another pay rise though I do not really need it." Lucius loved talking about his success and Draco loved hearing about it – another thing to boast about at school, another way to make fun of the Weasleys.

They walked through the wood avoiding all the Muggles that visited the park and came to a quiet country track.  Lucius and Draco then saw…

… Nothing. It was the Malfoy Mansion, there in the far off distance away from Oxford in some hills sat their home.  Invisible to Muggles and to them as well, but they knew it was there and they performed a few spells – the Quick-zip spell that made them move long distances in only a few strides and the Invisibility spell so that no one would see them.  In less than a minute they were home, feeling as tired as if they'd walked from one side of the road to the other and back again maybe three or four times.  The mansion was large, windows glistened because they had been cleaned so much by the servants, the garden was cut neatly and three gardeners were bent over pulling out the weeds and replanting Rose bushes and other sweet smelling pretty flowers.  At the door were stone steps centuries old and stone Gargoyles hung from the roof making the whole place look like an old cathedral.  There were statues of past wizards and witches, family pets; owls, dogs, cats, there were some other animals like one of a dragon sitting up on its hind legs looking menacing and noble.  The paths were laid with smooth gravel, clean and neat, distributed evenly amongst the borders.  The gardeners had spent quite a lot of time over the years making the whole place look like something most other people would be incredibly jealous of.  It was after all, the Malfoy way to boast about their wealth.

When they made it to the doors, Draco put his hand on his fathers to stop him from opening the doors.

"Before we go in," He said cautiously. "Where are Darklis and Cecilia?"

"Waiting inside with your mother, I do not see why you should be so worried about them meeting you."

"Father I hardly know them," Draco protested. "Children are not what I would say… who I like to hang around with." Lucius sighed accepting this answer and pulled on the door, Draco entered first and Lucius followed.

All at once when he was inside the great hall dogs howled and barked on the other side of a door to the lounge.  His mother Narcissa opened it and as two great big Mastiffs charged out barking and wagging their tails, she was followed by two young girls of about ten, both with blonde-white hair and sparkling silver eyes.  Draco had to drop his trunk and greet the two dogs as they jumped and whimpered for attention.

"Hello, hello, yes I missed you guys!" He looked up at the two girls. "And I missed you too." He said with rather more force.  They smiled and all three came to him arms outstretched to welcome him back, Lucius walked in and waited for them to finish.

"Welcome home Draco, I've missed my boy." Narcissa said kissing him on the cheek.

"Well I missed you too." When he said that it sounded like a lie to him, there was some love for her after all because she was his mother and the woman that bore him, raised him and cared for him deep down.  Probably.  The two girls were his younger twin sisters – Cecelia and Darklis – and they both had their arms firmly wrapped around his waist, they were only ten and because in the last six years he had only seen them for six weeks every year he didn't really know them that well.  When he started going to Hogwarts at eleven they were only five and weren't really someone he could talk to.  Now though they were older and could say more intelligent things.  Maybe this summer holiday he could try and build up a relationship with his sisters.

"Will you show us some spells Draco?" One of the two said excitedly.

"Which one are you again?"

"_I'm Cecelia_, you can tell because I wear this necklace with the silver serpent in it.  See?" It was a small round black stone, in certain light you could see it edged in blue and shaped like a backwards 'S' in the middle was a silver serpent, slowly twisting as if alive in its prison.  Darklis had the same necklace except that the serpent was ivory white and stayed perfectly still.

"Very nice.  Did mother get you those?" They looked surprised.

"No, you did.  When we were three." Draco suddenly remembered.

"Ah yes I remember.  I was… nine then wasn't I? I got them for you because you're so identical and it's so hard to tell the difference between you two.  I see you like them still." They both nodded happily then turned and gave their father a big hug.

"Hello Father, anything good happen at work today?"

"No everything's fine." He looked up to his wife.  "That new Portkey system works wonderfully! Draco's home three hours earlier than usual; it's three O'clock." Things proceeded as they usually did with the assembly of all the servants to welcome Draco home; they all formed a big group in the hall and rather reluctantly Draco noticed, they all said 'Welcome home Master' as one in the same tone of voice – like they were not really happy to see him back or to welcome any Malfoy.  Afterwards Draco changed from his slightly shorter Hogwarts robes into a clean pair of silver and green dress robes for dinner with his whole family, he was wearing the outfit he had picked last year for the welcoming dinner this year and felt very posh and grand in it.  Before going down to dinner he had admired himself in the mirror and thought about how much that stupid Weasley would never be able to afford such a thing.  Being rich was probably one of the greatest things anyone could ever be in this world.

Everything, except for perhaps his rather disappointing parents, in Draco's life was perfect.

Then he enjoyed a very large dinner and couldn't help but automatically ignore his younger siblings who ate in perfect unison.  He looked at what they really looked like for the first time in his life that night; two perfect little girls with shimmering white hair that was styled in very pretty curls that hung around their shoulders, their eyes were even more brightly silver than Draco's or their parents and they have fair skin with hardly one freckle ruining their delicate faces.  They looked like dolls.  Finally the two necklaces rested on their chests on top of beautiful silk robes of silver and white, they could have been about to get married by the way they were dressed!  He felt proud of his two sisters for the first time in years and as he sunk right into the holiday he began to allow conversations with them when they were around, then slowly he started looking for them and by the third week he was quite happy to spend every moment with them.

One quiet afternoon near the end of August, the three were spending time in the garden on benches below a Honeysuckle covered Arbour.  Draco was writing revision notes on a piece of parchment and half listening to his sisters who were asking him questions about magic spells and wild beasts.

"Have you ever been chased by a monster Draco?"

"Did you go into the Forbidden forest at night sometimes?" He nodded absentmindedly and muttered yes or no answers.

"Really? What was it like?"

"Did you see any dragons?"

"Were there giants?"

"And Centaurs, I heard there's a whole herd or something living in there!"

"There are." Draco mumbled remembering his first year when he had that detention with Harry Potter.  The memory made him shiver.

"Have you seen them?"

"Spoke to them?"

"Do they let you ride on them?"

"Have you rode on one?"

"What kind of names do they have?"

"Do they bite?" Draco's head snapped up and stared at Darklis in bewilderment.

"You what? What kind of a question is that?"

"You're not talking to us! Stop working and talk!"

"I can't, I have to do my homework…" He mumbled turning back to his books and making more notes.  Darklis and Cecilia exchanged identical looks and both thinking the same thing leaned forward to lie on the grass resting their heads in their hands.  They did it slowly and perfectly together, wearing expressions of sad lost children and stared at Draco like that until slowly his eyes looked up and narrowed at them.

"I can't play with you today – I have my N.E.W.T.'s next year and I have to study." They pouted their lips and batted their eyelashes.

"No." They didn't move.

"Go away, you've coped without me for six years now go and do it again for one more day." He said waving his hand at them to dismiss them.  "You heard me – shoo!" Reluctantly they both got up and frowning at him left the Arbour.

"You're so boring!"

"Big Brothers are so dull!"

"We don't want to stay with you anyway!"

"Yes we're going back to our rooms!" When they were gone Draco stopped writing and leaned back against the tangled plant wishing he didn't have to work so much.  School was only three more weeks away and soon he would be walking from it to start his life at the Ministry with that job his father had sorted years ago for him.  He smiled and closed his eyes.  The sun was still warm and made everywhere a comfortable place to possibly sleep in, so he folded his arms behind his head and lay back to take that opportunity right now.

Watching his thoughts playing in his head, thinking of a song and running it through in his mind savouring the peace, he felt the air around him thicken and the sun grow colder.  He opened one eye a tiny bit to see why there was such an unwelcome change and before he could properly open them or register who he was looking at, something hit him between the eyes.  A spell - he realised that a fraction of a second before the lights went out.

Up to that moment, Draco had thought his life was perfect in almost every way.

It was about to change forever.

**_Dark Serpent,_**

**_Take me in your embrace,_**

**_Hold me,_**

**_Secure my body in your grasp,_**

**_Have my heart._**

****

**_You are my future,_**

**_There is no past,_**

**_Show me your soul and I'll give you mine._**

****

**_You are my master,_**

**_My life,_**

**_And Death._**

****

****

(Green_Pig:- The next chapter will not be put up until I have completed writing chapter 4 and I have enough reviews to believe that someone out there does care for me.  I'm writing chapter 3 at the moment and I do know what will happen in chapter 4 so it shouldn't be too long for chapter 2 to be up.  Anyhoo, chapter 2 is called: _'The Darkest Curse'_ hope you look forward to it cuz it's about 8 pages long. ::!!HOORAY FOR THE HARRY POTTER MOVIE!!::)


	2. The Darkest Curse

(Green_Pig:- Things start to become weird in this chapter I admit…but It'll all sort out! Chapter 2 is about 8 pages long now, please don't forget to review or else I'll be very sad… check out the authors: _Marie Goos_ and _I.C. Fire_, both ace writers! Snape fans MUST read their fanfics! Oh and thanx to Liz who was the only person other than Zippybug to review the first chapter after it had been up for a few weeks, so I thought I'd add the second chapter up just for you since you are my only reviewer ::cries:: I hope you enjoy this but I'm not gonna add very many more chapters until I have at least ten…geez, doesn't anyone out there care for me at all? Should I just NOT bother anymore??? SHOULD I JUST GIVE UP WRITING???!!!!)

**DISCLAIMER:** Almost all characters and settings are copyright of J.K. Rowling, the brilliant person who created Harry Potter on that train ride the day she began writing one of the greatest children's novels in the world.  ::YIPPEEEEEE!!! I SEEN DA MOOOVIEEEEEEE!!::

Chapter Two

The Darkest Curse

Blurred vision returned in his eyes and he shakily lifted his aching head from the ground.  Looking around he was still in the Arbour but it was late.  How late he did not know, the garden was now shrouded in darkness and it seemed everyone had gone to bed.  His head was throbbing and as he staggered up to get his schoolbooks and work he noticed they were gone, so he walked back to the front doors of the house and went inside.  Immediately the dogs began to bark again and Lucius stormed out waving his accusing finger to his face.

"Where have you been Draco?!" He hollered. Then seeing his son's tired and heavy face changed his tune automatically.  "You look like you've been hiding yourself somewhere with wine!"

"I haven't been drinking…"

"Well then where have you been for the last six hours?"

_"Six?"_

"Six." Lucius confirmed with a final nod.  Draco rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Dunno… Someone hit me."

"Who?"

"Dunno, just hit me and I've only just woken up." Lucius looked disbelievingly at his son, he didn't think Draco was telling the truth.

"None of the gardeners saw you, no one saw anyone else and you haven't been in that Arbour for _six hours_ Draco,_ six hours_.  Now _can you tell me_ where you've been without making up lies?"

"Where have you been Draco?" Narcissa said sternly as she walked from the lounge to stand by Lucius.

"Someone hit me mother," Draco sighed thinking to get her on his side with some sweet talk.

"Who hit you?" She said rather anxiously feeling Draco's brow looking for a bump anywhere on it – his sweet talk had worked and he smiled like a little boy enjoying her consideration for his pain, that of which had been getting heavier in his head.

"I don't believe you." Lucius said icily.  "The boy's making it all up – he's probably been drinking somewhere secretly all this time!"

"I don't drink!" Draco winced after shouting so loud, his ears felt like they couldn't deal with anything of that volume.

"You've got some explaining to do!"

"I'm going to my room."

"You're going to stay down here and tell us where you've been!"

"I was knocked out!" He put his hands over his ears and started walking away up the stairs.  "I have a headache, I'm going to bed…"

"You're not getting out of it that easily Draco! Come back down here!" Draco muttered something rude to him and in an instant Lucius had run up and hit him round the head.

"Never say that sort of thing to me again! Apologise to your mother for speaking like that in front of her!"

"Go away! Leave me alone you don't care about me anyway!" He lifted himself from the stairs and harshly shoved his father off the steps - Lucius fell back quickly and landed flat on his back on the hall floor breathless with surprise.  That taken care of, Draco shakily ran and half staggered to his room where he shut and locked the door and collapsed onto his bed, then his eyes – that were still blurred from the moment he had woken – completely gave up and he was thrust into total blindness.  He fell asleep almost instantly still dressed and face down on his bed.

_"Good, good, put him on that table – it'll have to do." Draco couldn't see, he couldn't hear that well either but the voice defiantly was high pitched and eerie, it sent a shiver down the spine of his dreaming body._

_"Was it hard to get him away? Did Lucius see you at all?"_

_"Not at all, it was a quick spell and he was out."_

_"Excellent." Draco couldn't tell what was happening around him; all he saw was deathly black and if he was feeling anything, it was just like floating in water, deep under its surface.  The voice that sent shivers down his spine began to mumble words unrecognisable in the English language and he heard the turning of crackled pages – he smelt the smell of an old worn book and the damp stuffy air was hot because of the burning fire somewhere, somewhere he couldn't tell where.  It was just all around him and he was just a pair of ears and a nose floating blindly inside wherever he was.  He must have been dreaming._

_The voice continued to chant, pages turned, the fire grew hotter and the air began to thicken and twist around him.  Something that felt like the wind, Draco had the sudden idea that it was another sort of wind – a spirit – and it was drifting, twisting, wrapping around his body until he could feel it around his neck – or where he assumed his neck would be as he was completely blind and didn't think about the rest of him being there._

_He felt the sickening coldness of the thing as it slowly curled around his chin and smoothed past his cheek.  It was so cold.  Suddenly he felt his jaws open of their own accord, he tried to shut them but something was holding them open.  Then feeling the worst panic he had ever felt in his life he realised what was happening._

_That 'something' was trying to get inside his mouth._

_He screamed, or tried to, his voice was frozen in silence and he suddenly felt too weak to make a sound, his body convulsed in an attempt to get away and judging his death was very near Draco just accepted the truth and unbearably felt the freezing spirit squeeze into his mouth and slip down his throat.  He felt the hard lump of it as it went down to the pit of his stomach and he felt cold.  Colder than he had ever been in his life, but he was alive.  Praise God he was still alive._

Draco awoke in a cold sweat and threw up in his bed where he lay, shaking terribly, he couldn't hold himself up and collapsed back into the remains of his last meal.  He was so cold, freezing, his breath was struggling to come and all he could do was wretch.  He felt terrible, like he had watched his death over and over again in slow motion all night, he could hear his heart pumping furiously around his body and all he could do was lie there in agony with his muscles weighing what felt like lead.  Miserably he tried to whimper away his aching pain but he just had no strength, so he slipped back into sleep.

A week had passed and Draco was lying in his bed, sick and miserable.  His mother and father had helped him under the covers and that was where he had been for the last seven days, he had not eaten a thing, was pale and hungry with such heavy eyes that he dared not open them.  Darklis and Cecelia were not allowed to enter, only the nurse that had cared for them when they were young was allowed to care for him, give water to him, stay with him in that room.  Narcissa often went in and gently stroked his head as she couldn't ignore her maternal instincts any longer, Lucius went in every day to see if he was any better but never said a word or tried to talk to him.

It was getting worrying, the nurse had no idea what it was exactly but all she could think up was some strong form of flu.  She was dismissed as soon as she said that and a real doctor was called in.

He watched Draco lying half asleep in his bed and after being asked Draco struggled to open his heavy eyes to look at the doctor.

"Can you hear me? You can can't you? I'm going to see what it is you have been infected with, tell me if something's giving you pain." Draco shut his eyes but didn't speak.

"He just can't say anything doctor, he just doesn't have the strength it seems." Narcissa sighed.  The doctor went over and gently poked and prodded Draco's forehead, lifted one eyelid to see that his eyes were indeed rolled up and nodded to himself.

"Hmm, yes he's slipped back into unconsciousness.  What we have here, is a case that can be rectified as soon as we can tell which spell it was that got him.  He has been cursed badly Mrs Malfoy, it is quite obvious when you look at him that the cause of all this is not any viruses in the air but of someone's cruel intentions.  We must find out what curse was inflicted upon him and combat it with the counter-curse to get him better." Narcissa looked distraught; who would ever want to hurt her son?  But they could find no cure, the curse for his sudden sickness was unknown and very soon after the doctor left Lucius returned to the room, watched his pale boy sleeping, maybe even dying before his eyes, left the mansion and disapparated to Voldemort's chambers ready to probably do the most foolish thing ever – ask the Dark Lord if the cause was his.

"Master." Lucius got to one knee before Voldemort and waited to be acknowledged.

"Yes, my friend?" The Dark Lord hissed gently stroking Nagini's neck as she lay wrapped around his neck.  It was quite strange to see Voldemort look so… so… evil.  Back in the days when Lucius was a younger man he hardly saw Voldemort because he was always out gathering Ministry information and tagging along with the one or two Muggle murders.  Voldemort had never looked so evil, so sly and calculating.  Nagini – the snake Wormtail had milked to bring back their master had turned into a sort of lap cat.  It had begun to give him some horrible looks, like she was always thinking about how good your taste might be if only she could get _one-little-bite._

Lucius tried to tear his quivering eyes from Nagini's but it was just a natural instinct to not let his back be turned when in the presence of something that could easily kill you in an instant.  Voldemort smirked and whispered something in Parseltongue into Nagini's ear.

_Do snakes have ears?_

"Do not hide your questions Lucius, we have known each other for a very long time now."

"Er, yes." _I hate that fucking snake.  _"Er, master, I, my son-"

"Ahh Draco, yes what a handy young man to have… I will need to see him more often Lucius." His suspicions were beginning to look as though they were all true.  Did Voldemort inflict that curse on his son?  What had he done to anger his Lord so much that he would take it out on Draco?

"You are wondering if the curse on Draco is my doing, are you not?" Lucius' heart skipped a beat.  "And you are also wanting to… get revenge on me for doing this…?" Lucius' heart stopped; _how did he know what he was thinking? What would he do now that he knew?_ His eyes flicked back to Nagini who sniffed the air with her black tongue and gave him a look that suggested she was itching to please her master by getting rid of the annoyance quickly.  She raised her head in a threatening manner, ready to confuse her prey and take it when it was not concentrating.  Voldemort sniggered and whispered once more to Nagini in his strange language.  Lucius had been wondering in the last three years since his coming back into the world, if perhaps Voldemort's relation with that snake was more than just good friends.

"I do not wish to discuss it with you Lucius, I advise you to return back to your little family and keep quiet, wait for your son to regain his health and then return to me.  I will then, if I feel like it, tell you of my brilliant new plan and if it all works out, Draco will become perhaps one of the most feared men in the whole world, Muggle as well.  He may even be a successor to me, though let us not hope that situation will ever arise." Lucius' face was as pale as Draco's, his eyes were glistening with anger and worry mixed into one and his muscles were trembling with fear so much that he was ashamed to admit it to himself.  He got up and ran to the door but before he could wrench the handle round and escape, Voldemort spoke again in his iciest tone of voice.

"If you _ever,_ do get it in your head to do something about this, mention it to the Ministry or attempt to save him for instance, then not only will your son die but I will also find something to do to _your two pretty young girls_.  _Cecelia_ and _Darklis _are their names _yes?"_ Lucius' back was hiding his frozen expression from him, but Voldemort already knew how much the thought of anything harming his two daughters would strike terror into his heart.  Lucius nodded and gulped some air feeling a lump in his throat.  He walked out slower than he had entered and as he made it home to his mansion he couldn't hold in his grief any longer.  Lucius clutched his throat and leaned up against a wall and wept, he wept because he had had enough of all the years of sneaking around trying to keep away from the Ministry, constantly afraid of Aurors as he walked past them in the street – they were secretive yes but he knew who they were because he had run from them so many times in his youth.  When Voldemort had disappeared years ago he was finally happy because he never would be afraid of his powers again, but then he had a new fear – the Ministry and the public finding out about his crimes.  When he had just managed to get his life back together again, raised a son and two daughters Voldemort had returned and since then it had been getting harder and harder to do his bidding and keep his innocence clear to the Ministry, the pressure of work in two jobs – one for the light side and one for the dark – had often left him feeling tired and strained like a wrung-out sponge.  He took it all in and held onto it until someone made him lose it, let it all wash out and cause such mess that needed to be cleaned up quickly.

Now he had his son in his grasp – he had set some curse onto him that was surely killing him, slowly each day Draco was dying and he didn't know how to stop it, _he couldn't_, if he tried he'd die and then his two precious daughters would be taken just as harshly from him.  His children were the world to him; he loved his beautiful daughters so much that if anything, if anyone hurt them he wouldn't care who he was fighting anymore, he'd just fight to protect them as much as he could.

And Voldemort also had him.  He had kept him a prisoner to his evil schemes nearly all his adult life and now he was trapped in a cage even tighter than the last, he didn't have a key, no clue how to get out and nothing to pick the lock.

Another terrible week passed, even the servants who it seemed disliked the Malfoys as much as they disliked mud on their face were also hoping for the end of this misery.  Draco hardly opened his eyes at all now, he hadn't shifted in two weeks and he was so deathly quiet they were all afraid to check up on him in the mornings for fear of the worst.  Lucius knew what was wrong with him, up to an extent.  It was a dark curse laid on by Voldemort that he didn't know how to lift.

But what had he said?

_"Ahh Draco, yes what a handy young man to have… I will need to see him more often Lucius."_

Did those words mean Draco was not expected to die, that Voldemort was just creating all this worry for the pleasure of seeing Lucius squirm?  He did not like to think about it, he didn't know if he wanted to know the true intentions of the Dark lord.

One more week to the end of the holidays, Draco may not be able to return to Hogwarts for a few days, or weeks, it all depended on how long it would last.  Ah yes, another thing Voldemort had said to him before he had left:

_"I advise you to return back to your little family and keep quiet, wait for your son to regain his health and then return to me.  I will then, if I feel like it, tell you of my brilliant new plan and if it all works out, Draco will become perhaps one of the most feared men in the whole world, Muggle as well.  He may even be a successor to me, though let us not hope that situation will ever arise."_

So maybe Draco was going to recover, Voldemort seemed pretty sure about it.  But when? _When?_ All this waiting and every day he seemed to get worse! Voldemort had told him not to return until Draco was well again.  _There was a plan._  Draco was in it, Lucius was quite concerned as to what plans the Dark lord had made for his son… he wished he was far, far away from it all…

Voldemort consulted the book again.

_Too long, it wasn't supposed to take this long!_

He flicked through the pages, skimming sentences about the dangers of the nether regions of the universe - the places where even he felt were a little too disturbing for him.  The faint glowing candles in the room were dying, the whole room was cold and uninviting but Voldemort didn't seem to notice.

Tonight he was on his own, no Death Eaters and no Wormtail.  Alone except for Nagini curled and sleeping in his chair like a cat, snoring delicately and flicking her black tongue out with every breath.  Voldemort frowned as an irrelevant thought crossed his mind.

_Do snakes snore?_

He shook his head angrily and slammed the book shut, then opened it at the first page reading down the list of contents.  It was all written in an ancient language so that made things slightly more annoying, nevertheless he was the only one he knew that could at least read it much easily than others.  Of course, it would be – it was in his blood.

Each moth eaten page that he turned was spattered with blood stains, the very blood stains of his ancestor Salazar Slytherin when he wrote the book centuries ago, just before Hogwarts was built.  It had been in his family for years, the language was old and forgotten, remembered only through historians, extremely intelligent scholars and of course through Slytherin's decendants.  It had only been in the last year that he dared to read it, it was where he got his new brilliant plan from.

The information held within these pages were the key to the source of all Black magic, Voldemort had to get the key and the only way he could get it was to find the door.  Find the door and you can figure out the key needed to open it.  When he had realised this, Voldemort had spent almost all time for three months in searching the most desolate areas of the world for the places where Dark magic leaked from the Dark dimension into this world, he had of course failed with absolutely no leads at all to where the door was.  Then he had left it, read through Salazar's book again and learnt more dark spells, curses and hexes that Salazar had apparently discovered by dabbling with the notion of there being a dimension of pure Black magic.

There were no windows in this room save one tiny one, it was only big enough for owls to fly through and that suited Voldemort fine – less room for any bird Animagus' to get in.  He found the page, near the back of the book and reread what he had read every day for the last week:

_'The summoninge of a Beinge is ae danjerous and diffecult task, one which maye resulte in deathe or severe pain and losse of the soule.  It cane be done but requires extreme skille and powere.'_

There was a lengthily explanation of the spell and necessary body positions – for the summoner and the victim – and many gory diagrams that Voldemort assumed Salazar had enjoyed drawing.  Everything was written in his blood.  _What kind of a man must he have been anyway?_

_'Ine ae fewe dayes followeing the insertion the victime wilt becometh a rogue and loseth all care fore the worlde. He wilt groweth in powere and becometh a strong mastere of Dark magic. The Beinge wilt driveth oute alle goodness and the victime wilt be thyn slathe.'_

Of course that was how it was written if you could translate it all into English.  But Salazar said it would be in a few days, two weeks now! Two weeks was more than a few days!  Voldemort slumped in his chair making sure to remove Nagini and let her wrap around his neck.  What had he done wrong? Draco Malfoy was the perfect guinea pig to use and lucius was one of his most loyal followers.  If he could take control of that boy, then he could find the door, find the key and release all evil unto the world!

The idea was positively alluring…

Two little blonde girls in shimmering white dresses ran to the door, lifting their skirts and lightly skimming the ground with their toes.  They both came to a halt at the end of the corridor like stealthy cats, one head looking round in one direction, the other peering through the keyhole.

"He's in there." One whispered, the other hopped round and pushed her sister out of the way.

"Yes, ready? Let's go in and wish him well!"

"Dark, are you sure about this…? Mother said no one apart from she and father are allowed in there.  He's very sick they say." Darklis rolled her eyes and took a hairpin from somewhere beneath her mass of curls.

"It doesn't make sense why Draco should just get sick all of a sudden, we were with him the first three weeks of the holiday and he didn't look the least bit ill. I refuse to believe that this is all the fault of a wind blown virus!" Cecelia stared back blankly and moved away so Darklis could pick the lock.  When they went in they locked the door again and walked slowly and cautiously up to the side of the bed and looked down at Draco's sleeping figure.  They watched him nervously for a few minutes unsure of what to do next until Cecelia gasped and hurriedly pointed to the necklace around Darklis' neck.  She cupped the jewel in her hands and mouthed her disbelief watching as the white snake twisted and grew inside its stone.

"Why is it moving? It's never moved before!"

"Shush Cecie! I don't want to miss anything…" They watched it as the black stone began to glow and then Darklis gaped at the necklace on Cecelia's neck.

"It's glowing too!" The silver serpent had always been moving, sometimes but not often it stopped and relaxed but now it squirmed and wriggled just as much as Darklis', their stones were glowing white and the light emitted from them beamed out likes searchlights in their faces.

_"Aargh! What's going on?"_ They both mumbled – they didn't scream because they knew they'd get in trouble if anyone heard them in the room.  In a few minutes, or seconds, it was over.  The light vanished and blinking furiously the twins let go of their stones and broke out into smiles as Draco's eyes twitched, opened and he turned to look at them.

"…Wha…?" He said groggily.  It wasn't much but it was more than he had said in two weeks so they jumped up and down on the spot and clapped their hands with joy.  It was Draco's first reaction not to look at their smiling faces but at the two stones on their necks.  Both the snakes inside were still and smaller than they had been.  He wondered afterwards why he had focussed in on those two snakes and why he had felt like Death had been driven away from him, right now though he just blinked and wondered who he was and what he was.

"Draco! Draco you're okay!" Cecelia laughed, Darklis slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Shush sister! We are not supposed to be here remember?" She hissed.

"Oops, sorry, but isn't this great?! Now he can come with us to Diagon alley on Friday!" Draco let them talk and started fitting reality back into places.  His whole mind, his memory was blank.  He wanted to know how long he'd been here.

"…H…h-oww…" He swallowed with terrible effort, his mouth felt so dry and dead. "H-oWW, Loong hav-v-ve I beeeen…" He stopped, giving up and sighing but they knew what he had asked.

"Um… two weeks, you've been ill Draco." Cecelia said, Darklis nodded confirming her.  He could feel how stiff his backbone was, he tried to get up anyway and felt the strain on his neck, God his head was so heavy! How on Earth could he have been able to lift it before now? Everything was a blur to him, he knew these two girls were his sisters but anything concerning the time they spent together this holiday was gone.  All he knew of it was sitting somewhere at the back of his mind, he sensed it was there but he just couldn't recall the memory.  Something else was blocking it.

He had such a headache.

"Are you sure you should be getting up? I think you'd better lie down." Cecelia flittered as he somehow managed to sit upright and swing his legs off the bed.

"I'm…fine…" He reached out a hand and Darklis held it helping him to stand.  He was still dressed in the green and silver robes he had worn two weeks ago, but with no shoes.  He suddenly had a strange sensation run through him as his legs took his weight for the first time in two weeks - he really, really had to go.

"Help me…walk. I've got…to…get out of, this room." The twins held one shoulder up each and guided Draco out as he shambled doggedly with them.  "Not, that, way… I have a call of nature…" He said rather embarrassingly, they nodded slowly as realisation slipped in and changed direction to another room further down the corridor, afterwards they helped him back to the bed and told him what had happened while he was under the curse.

"Yes, I think I can make it to Diagon alley father, I'm not ill any more." _I wouldn't believe it so soon._

"You were ill for two weeks Draco, you can't expect me to allow you to run around as normal after that, that -"

"_-Curse.  _Do you know who might have done it to me?" Lucius knew, but he couldn't say.  He really should have gone to Lord Voldemort by now.  Draco had been up and about the last five days and seemed to be perfectly healthy, but, but there was something wrong still, something not right about him.

"I, don't _know_… understand me though when I ask you _not_ to accompany us to Diagon alley.  We can get your new things; the list came this morning.  Stay here, _please_, until you have to leave on Monday Draco please stay at home and make sure you're fully recovered." Draco threw his arms up.

"But I am well! I'm fine! I don't need this constant mothering from anyone!" They were in the study, just he and his father.

"You are _not_ well! I _won't _allow you to go out until you are!" _There it was again, _Lucius thought, _that little glint in his eye, it appears every time we talk about this.  There's something wrong about his behaviour, he shouldn't be so unruly to me!_

"Draco," Lucius said rather testily. "We will discuss this tomorrow morning.  I won't have any of this tonight."

"But you go tomorrow, let me come just this one day.  A few hours is all, it won't hurt." Maybe it was because he was afraid of what would happen if he didn't agree, maybe he just had enough and gave in, whatever the reason Lucius allowed Draco to come and the next morning the family left the mansion for Diagon alley to shop for Hogwarts things.  There, when they walked into Gringotts to take out money Lucius looked round cautiously to Draco who smiled innocently back, he breathed in and hoped the day would go well.

_"Mother and my sisters will go off shopping on their own," _

_Mother and my sisters will go off shopping on their own, _Draco recited in his head.

_"Then when they're out of the way I'll get rid of my father," _

_Then when they're out of the way I'll get rid of my father,_

_"And find someone to kill." _Draco's mind hesitated for a moment.

_"And find someone to kill." _The voice said louder, Draco's lips moved thinking of the words but not sure why he was thinking them.

_And find someone to… kill.  _His heart shuddered, Lucius looked round at him and automatically he smiled back, when Lucius turned away he repeated the words to himself.

_And find someone to kill. _ This time he thought of them a bit more strongly than before.

_"I can see we will become great allies, Draco my soul…"_

****


	3. Day out in Diagon Alley

(Green Pig:- this chapter's real short, well, the shortest so far.  I thought it was about time to post this because I think you've waited long enough ^_^.  Hey I've really got into doing that recently, making an ickle smiley face – I think it's cuz I.C. Fire does that all the time too – HER STORIES OF SNAPE ARE DA BOMB!!! You must read _'Purveyor of Poisons' _and _'Natural Veritaserum'_, there's just so many kewl stories of hers you MUST READ!… anyhoo, enough advertising, I'm only doing that because she is my best friend and her stories are kewl.

I guess I shouldn't keep you waiting too long, please I think you'll like this chapter even more than the last two because Draco does go school shopping in Diagon alley and well, things just get a little funny ::sniggers:: okay so see ya later with chapter 4 later okeis? Please don't forget to review, I don't care if it's a flame I just really love to read reviews! ^_~ ß smiley face again hehe)

**Disclaimer**: This Harry Potter ain't mine okay? I just like to write stories of the characters for my own entertainment blah blah blah you know what I'm trying to say.

Chapter Three

Day out in Diagon alley

"Now we will get your new robes and the books that you need, then we'll wait for your mother and your sisters to meet us down Evisnep alley.  You're not to wander anywhere Draco, _Draco!"_ Draco stopped looking through the window of a women's robe shop and at all the giggling women inside, smirked, winked at them and turned away to follow his father looking most peeved.

"Yes _sir."_

"Don't act like that, I've told you before." Draco shrugged and sighed.  "Right, I've had enough of that kind of behaviour from you!" Lucius spun round to his son with one wagging finger.

"Oh _puh-lease_.  What can _you_ do?  Let's not make a scene now, father." Lucius fumed, Draco folded his arms and stared back conceitedly at his father.  Eventually Lucius gave up and carried on down the alley, followed by Draco at a swaggering pace who occasionally stopped to grin at some well dressed girls showing off all of his perfect white teeth in the most dashing of smiles.  Lucius rolled his eyes.  _Hopefully that's not really him, he never acted like this before.  It must be something to do with Voldemort – what has he _done_ to him?_  It was starting to really worry him now but what could he do out here in public?

"Draco, I would really appreciate it if you did not carry on like that." He said over his shoulder.

"Sorry." Lucius knew he didn't mean it.

"Well let's get your new robes."

"I don't need them, the ones I wore last year fit me perfectly well."

"Don't be ridiculous you can't wear those old things another year!"

"I can and I will, I'm going to spend my money on other worthier things." Lucius turned round to tell him that he couldn't but found that the boy had disappeared so quickly he had no chance of finding out which way he'd gone.

"Damn!" He cursed under his breath and disapparated to Diagon alley to start searching – _the boy should not be left alone anymore._

"So where shall we go now?"

"I dunno, we done all our school shopping so let's go to the Leaky Cauldron and have a meal."

"I'm not hungry Ron…" Ron and Hermione stopped still in the alley and looked apologetically at Harry.

"Sorry, Harry." Hermione whispered gently taking his arm and hugging him.  Harry didn't return the hug, he just smiled sadly and pushed his hands into his trouser pockets.

"Yeah, sorry mate." Ron patted him on the back.  They all made an agreement at the end of their sixth year that they'd not mention ever again what had happened to Harry in their last year.  Since their fourth year things had been growing worse around the wizarding world.  A sighting here, there, someone dead somewhere else while the Ministry was investigating the sightings back over here.  The Aurors were working hard and so was Dumbledore to prevent Voldemort's entry into Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, but his forces were growing stronger.  All over the Daily Prophet on most mornings there would be reports of Vampire groups, Giants, ghouls, ghosts, all sorts of evil creatures moving from their native countries and slowly making their way to England, the Ministry were managing to hold them back so nothing could advance, reaching a rotten stalemate.

Charlie, Bill, Percy and Ron's own dad were not at home very often; they were at one end of the country one night and at the other the next night helping in the defence against Voldemort's great growing army.  People were already saying that this time, Voldemort's new rule would be far worse than it had been over eighteen years ago before any of them were born, but still the Ministry said that that would never happen again and that anyone caught bringing everyone's hopes down would be fined a heavy toll if discovered.  But they went to school, as if nothing was wrong, students just left or preparing to leave were already certain that as soon as they could they'd go to the front line and help protect the peace they'd kept for over sixteen years.

In their fourth year Harry had come face to face with Voldemort newly resurrected, nearly been killed, had his wrists slashed, witnessed the death of Cedric Diggory and came back to Hogwarts needing comfort only to discover that Mad-eye-Moody was really Barty Crouch Jr in disguise using the Polyjuice potion a nd about to deliver Harry directly back to Voldemort to be killed.  Dumbledore had summoned Mungdungus Fletcher, a very strong warlock, to get in touch with all the animagus' around the world and be his spy around the countries as the Ministry at first refused to believe that Voldemort could possibly be back.  Lupin returned to be the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher for two years, Snape had returned to Voldemort's ring to be a spy and pretend allegiance to the Dark Lord and Harry, Ron and Hermione stayed at school worrying.  But no more so than Harry, who still had the odd nightmare about the night when Voldemort rose again.

Year five had been hard too, yet again Harry almost died, then in their sixth year Harry suffered the worst blow so far.

They didn't want to even remember anything of it.

"Let's just wander about a bit yeah?" Ron said.

"Yeah." They walked on in awkward silence down the alley towards the Leaky Cauldron anyway because they couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

"I know!" Hermione said aloud completely ruining the silence as if she'd taken a sledgehammer to a mirror. "We can go down Evisnep alley!"

"Where?" The two boys both said as unenthusiastically.

"Evisnep alley, it's pensive backwards, you know, meaning thoughtful, deep in thought."

"Like Dumbledore's Pensive?"

"Yes, it means the same thing Harry.  But! That's what the alley's like, full of rich stuff - a place where you can just walk about and think for ages! Shopping! With lots of rich things in every window! Chocolate for a Galleon each or something! Rich stuff!" Ron shook his head at her.

"In case you haven't realised, but we are neither rich or have enough money to spend Galleons on one chocolate bar.  Especially not me, I had to do with the robes from last year again this year."

"We don't have to have money, we can just wander around and look at it all…dream about what it would be like to have the money to buy it all."

"Where'd you find out about this alley? I've never heard of it before and I've been coming down here for over ten years now, with my mum when Fred and George started school."

"I read it at the tourist information board by the Leaky Cauldron, honestly you two _never_ pay much attention to anything around you do you?"

"When did you read this?" Ron said incredulously.

"Only, only last week."

"So you never heard of it before have you? So you can't go calling us thick okay?"

"Fine, but are we going there or not?" Ron looked at Harry, who thought about it for a bit and shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, fine.  Cool." They didn't move.

"Try and be a bit more… happy, Harry?" Hermione said.

"What? I am happy! Near enough as much as I can get are you happy? I'm fine! Let's just get going shall we?" He strode through between them and went on ahead.

"Er, Harry, you don't know which way to go!" He stopped, looked stupid and then let Hermione pass him leading through the alley back the way they came, past the cauldron shop, the apothecary, Eeylops Owl Emporium, shops full of strange telescopes and other weird stuff and onwards until they made it to Gringotts.

"Just through here." Hermione took them to a squat little building next to the towering white walls of the bank and they went through the doors that looked old at first but proved strong and new, into a well decorated square room with a large iron gate taking over a whole wall.  The gate was shut and was the barrier between the house and the cleanly swept road on the other side that was as bright and cheery as Diagon alley was now.  Well-dressed men and women strolled along browsing past the windows of the old high built shops in the distance.  Harry, Ron and Hermione were impressed.  The gate bars were so smooth and made up as a design of a fiery dragon standing on top of England's royal coat of arms.  Above it was the words 'Evisnep alley' in loopy writing.

"Excuse me, please step away so I may pass through." It was an old lady with her grey hair tied tightly in a bun, she looked very Malfoy-ish.  Harry, Ron and Hermione stepped back and she opened the gates herself and stepped out into the bright alley.

"Well let's go then!" Hermione went to the gate and pulled it back. "Well come on then!" She motioned them with her arms and they unsurely walked through.

It was indeed a posh area; they all suspected strongly that this was where the Malfoys must spend all their time off.  Even the cobbles beneath their feet were neat and tidy like when they were built someone had taken special care to get each stone just right, every building along the wide alley, that was wider than Diagon alley by far, was tall and old in design like the place was still back in the Elizabethan times.  Ron stopped a few spaces past the first building and turned back.

"Ron?" Hermione tried catching up with him but he ignored her and went on.

"This isn't somewhere someone like me should ever be, I'm not worthy!" He said rather dramatically and disappeared back through the gate.

"Ron? Oh well.  Come on Harry, let's see what the robe shops are like down here." So she and Harry went on together and passed the old lady they'd briefly met back at the entrance, walking out of a robe shop with heavy bundles in her arms.  Harry wondered whether he should have offered to help but the way that old woman looked at him made it clear that she didn't approve of 'their sorts' around here.

"Gosh they're so uppity round here. Hermione whispered after they'd passed three older gentlemen standing around just looking important and superior.  They rolled their eyes and sneered at them.

"Hermione, I reckon Ron had a good idea back then, maybe we should just leave."

"I thought you were in Gryffindor! Gryffindor's are brave!"

"Yes we are, supposedly, but this looks like a Slytherin area and I don't think we're meant to be here at all." She stopped and shrugged.

"You're right… but I do _so_ want to have a good look around! Won't you come with me?" She pleaded, Harry looked round at the standing crowds, all looking at them curiously out of the corner of their eyes.  Old wizards with well trimmed beards and long elegant robes of many exquisite colours, younger women wearing flowing expensive robes of a slightly old but fashionable style and marvellous hair that swept over their shoulders finely.  Harry thought one of them was quite attractive and he pondered on the possibilities until Hermione noticed his shy stare and turned his head back to her.

"Harry, please?"

"…… Hermione, we can't really stay.  Maybe when we're older eh?" she suddenly jumped and smiled wide.

"Oh Harry! You've got money! Lots of it I know! You can come down here, you're rich enough!" The crowd around suddenly grew more curious and Harry shivered under their stares; he didn't like their eyes too much, so sneaky and calculating, just like Snape and Draco Malfoy, two of his worst enemies.

"Hermione, please don't mention that around here I'm embarrassed as much as it is." She pouted her lips.

"Oh well." Then she took the lead turning round and walking back the way they came.

"My, my, what are you two sorry losers doing down here?" A cold drawling voice sounded behind them just before reaching the gate.  Draco stepped out from the shadows and Harry and Hermione both stepped back in surprise.

"We're just leaving, Malfoy." Hermione said in a loud clear voice.

"Just as well, I really don't think there's any point in you coming to Evisnep alley, not with your financial records." He sneered managing to slide his way between them and the gate without them noticing until he was there.

"If you think we should leave, why don't you move out of our way?" Harry said.

"I want to ask you some questions, Potter.  Granger can answer a few too I suppose."

"We have names, though it's been this way for years now I don't suppose you're intelligent enough to remember them at all." Draco grinned and sighed.

"And here's me thinking we were friends."

"We'll never be friends Draco, and you know it.  I'd rather marry Goyle." Draco laughed, but it was a slightly disturbing laugh Harry and Hermione thought, not high pitched or particularly off key one, just a low under-the-hand laugh where they saw every white tooth lined perfectly.  Harry noticed something glint in his eye, but he explained it away for the usual way Draco looked.

"Really Granger, that's one of the funniest things I've heard you say!" He mused.  She stormed forward, right hand raised.

"Do you want me to slap you again?!" Draco stopped laughing and looked up at her hand, then to her face that was inches away.  He began to laugh again but louder this time and looser.  Hermione struck, they all were silent.

Draco's head slowly turned back round to her and she stepped back flustered.  Already there was a red mark on Draco's left cheek where Hermione had hit, his eyes narrowed and his whole body stiffened with anger.

"Serve's you right." She said. "Now excuse us _please_." She sniffed pushing him roughly to the side and leaving through the gate back into the little building.  Harry was still standing in the same spot looking at Draco with nothing but pure hatred.

"Well go on then! Go with your girlfriend!" Draco snapped stamping up to him. "Are you too brain-dead Potter?! _Harry?!"_ Harry made small thought-out movements and ignored Draco, walked forward and left with Hermione quietly without a backward glance.  When they were gone Draco's hand went up to his cheek and he winced.  The girl was getting stronger.

_"That was good, more."_

Draco nodded, putting the stinging pain out of his mind easily, and walked through the gate into Diagon alley.  Outside the old building people rushed by with their shopping and paid him minor attention.  He walked through the crowd until he could see the backs of Harry and Hermione's heads, with Ron who had joined them again to ask about what Evisnep alley was like.  He got closer, then surprised them suddenly arriving in the middle of their circle of conversation.

"Sod off Malfoy." Ron hissed.

"Piss off yourself." Draco replied with a smirk.

"What do you want now? Can't you delight in anything else other than being a slimy little stuck-up snob?" Hermione returned.  The verbal war had started again and Hermione had just counter-attacked Draco's gunfire with a bomb.  Harry reached for his wand.

"Forget it, I don't want to bother myself with you three idiots much longer.  I wanted to ask you some questions."

"Then ask and leave us alone." Hermione had had years of practice fighting Malfoy with words rather than fists like Ron did, Ron had actually been practicing fist fights at home in preparation for the yearly brawl with Malfoy, though neither Harry nor Hermione knew about it.

"First, what were you doing down Evisnep alley?"

"Having a wander, what's it to you?"

"But I noticed that Weasley was not with you, I wondered if you had fallen out? Would be such a shame after years of being friends, am I right?"

"You jealous Malfoy?" Ron was getting angry; his face was getting redder.

"Jealous? Of you three? Don't make me laugh."

"Then why are you here?"

"Pure curiosity Weasley, that's all.  I just wanted to know why you two were friends still, I mean, If Hermione had done something like that I'd have been angry with her forever." Both Harry and Ron spun round to Hermione and looked questionable.

"Like what?" Ron asked cautiously.  Draco's lips curled into a devious little grin.  Then he walked away so quickly they couldn't catch up with him and immediately Hermione was the subject of their gazes.

"What Hermione? What was he talking about?" Ron exclaimed.

"Nothing! I haven't done anything! You can't believe anything he says, you know that!"

_"Hermione."_

"Ron, leave her alone!" Harry silenced them. "Draco's lying, you know that don't you?" Ron gaped like a fish.

"How can you tell? She could be hiding something from us!"

_"Ron!"_ They both said shocked.

"Ron, you trust the words of Malfoy over me?" She said sadly.  Ron peered down shamefully into her hazel eyes and softened.

"…Sorry Hermione." He hesitated briefly but bent his head and sweetly pecked her on the lips. "Forgive me?" He wooed.

"Sure." She returned the affection with a gentle kiss and with their fight resolved turned to Harry who shook his head smiling and they walked back together to the Leaky Cauldron to return home.  Hermione going back through into London to find her parents and Harry following Ron to the Burrow where, he had to admit, was like his home since his second year, all laden down with their last ever Hogwarts school new year shopping.

Draco met up with his father at the entrance in Evisnep alley, after being told sternly how angry he had made Lucius they went through the gate to find his mother, Darklis and Cecelia hanging next to her each holding a bag with their new robes inside.

"Had a nice day angels?" Lucius said bending over slightly to speak to them.  Cecelia smiled and nodded, Darklis smiled and shrugged.

"They don't seem to like the idea of wearing black, darling," Mrs Malfoy said. "They told me it was too dark."

"Cecelia, Darklis, now that you're going to school you have to wear school uniform and that means black robes." Lucius sweetly spoke.

"Well I don't like them." Darklis sniffed, Cecelia gasped and tried to look very happy with it all.

"Darklis, we've had this discussion many times before and I've always told you to be happy with everything you get.  This is a matter I cannot control unfortunately so black is what you're going to wear whether you like it or not." She pouted her lips and narrowed her eyes but made no attempt to argue.

"I bought them some black gloves, to compensate on having to lose their white dresses and gloves.  I think they're happy now." Narcissa whispered to her husband.

"Very well, let's return home then and prepare these two for school next week." The family walked off together to find a building that provided the Portkey service to all the rich in Evisnep alley.

(Green Pig:- Next chapter: 'Sinking and Sorting' and it's a LONG one… whew! I've yet to really grasp Chapter 5 yet and get writing it. Please, don't forget to review! ^_^)


	4. Sinking and Sorting

(**Green Pig**:- this has got to be my FAVOURITE chapter for any story I've ever written!! I am so happy to post it on ffnet! ^_^ Please, please I hope you enjoy it, please don't forget to review, this chapter's about 8 pages long… roughly, so make sure you have enough time spared to read it, thank you again, goodbye!!!)

**_Thank you to:_******

**zippy bug**

(my very nice friend)

**Liz**

(hope you come back someday)

**Jeanne**

(calm down, you think chapter 2 was exciting…? You ain't seen nothing)

**tana**

(hope you enjoy this)

**Marie Goos**

(m000f!!!!! m00f to you my very weird friend!!!)

**JudgeDP**

(Thank you for caring ::sheds a tear:: I really appreciate knowing I exist out there.)

**HermioneG89**

(I'll keep writing for you!!! For everyone!!!)

**Spawn-of-Piccolo**

(This chapter weirder…er… wait, that's the next one, next one VERY weird…brace yourself)

**I.C. Fire**

(As ever, my very faithful friend, keep writing!!! Me too!!! Harry Potter must never die!!!)

**Mariella**

(You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!! Yes you guessed right, though don't set your heart too much on a romantic based storyline, I'm intending to scare the pants off everyone with this fic, or at least slightly disturb, as always I'm writing for my own pleasure so I'm sorry if you no agree with my ideas…I like lotsa blood….and lotsa…._dementia _@_@)

**DISCLAIMER:** Harry Potter is not mine.  'nuff said.

Chapter Four

Sinking and Sorting

The following few days passed quickly, on September 3rd Draco was ready with his sisters to travel to Platform 9 ¾ via a Portkey.  Lucius was coming with them this year – to keep an eye on Draco as long as he could.

"Goodbye mother."

"Goodbye Draco, be well." Draco and Narcissa hugged briefly.

"Farewell mother, we will miss you dearly." Cecelia said with a kiss.

"Yes, we will." Darklis also kissed her mother but was in fact really excited about leaving as soon as possible – she couldn't wait to get away.

"Be back soon, dear." Lucius said and they left with their trunks through a Portkey in the middle of the hallway, Cecelia and Darklis dressed in their new black robes, they also had a cat each, that they received just yesterday from their father.  They were two ruddy-coated Abyssinian cats only just come out of kitten-hood, and they sat in Cecelia and Darklis' arms with contented faces.

At the station Cecelia and Darklis were so amazed that they forgot to say a proper goodbye to their father who disapparated soon enough. Their two cats leapt down and decided to hop and skip round by their legs, playing with each other.  Draco took them to the train, found a compartment for them all and once his sisters were settled in their own place he went out back onto the platform to find Crabbe and Goyle.  They were waiting for him and quickly shuffled into position following behind him as if he'd stopped briefly and strapped leads to his back.  They carried their own luggage to the same compartment Cecelia and Darklis were in waiting with their cats exploring the seats and running about.

"Hello." Cecelia said nervously to Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hello." Crabbe grunted.

"Alright." Goyle muttered.

"Yes these are my sisters, treat them with the same amount of respect you give me, if you will." Draco drawled to them.  On one side of the compartment Draco sat with his sisters and on the other Crabbe and Goyle sat with folded arms across their chests, they didn't talk because Draco had told them not to years ago.

"Tongo," Cecelia called and her Abyssinian cat leapt up onto her lap washing its paws and purring.

"Grim, come here Grim," And Darklis' cat slipped up to her and scratched its ears on her lap while she stroked him.

"Cats are useless." Draco sneered.

"Leave them alone, where's your owl anyway? I thought everyone had to have something to look after." Darklis muttered back.

"I don't need to keep a pet, my owl flies to Hogwarts and waits for me there.  Those two are too energetic for you, you should have lap cats." Tongo and Grim both looked up at him and hissed, leaping down from their owners laps to sit over on the other seat next to Crabbe and Goyle who didn't stroke them because they belonged to the Malfoys and not them.

"What's up with them? See, cats are a waste of time, bunch of grumpy animals. Quit hissing at me!"

"They don't like you." Cecelia commented.

"Obviously, they're yours tell them to stop."

"Tongo, stop it!"

"Bad boy Grim!" The two cats had their ears flat against their heads, backs were arched and fur standing up on end staring angrily at Draco, who suddenly felt a sharp pain run up back and into his head.  He clutched his temples and groaned.

"Are you okay Draco?" Cecelia the-constant-caring-worrier asked.

"Fine." He grunted.  "Come on you two," He indicated Crabbe and Goyle. "Let's get out of here for a while."

"You can't leave us alone now Draco!" Cecelia pleaded when he was out of the door. "Dark! He left us!"

"Okay." She shrugged and continued watching out of the window.

"You're turning just as boring as him!" Cecelia huffed folding her arms across her chest.  Tongo and Grim were both growling warily and creeping down from the seat to where their owners were, now that they were alone they could settle down and snuggle up to them.  Though quite energetic cats they thought it best to relax for this journey.

The train began to move and rolled out of platform 9 ¾, puffing smoke as it went along through the countryside.

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" Cecelia and Darklis turned and looked up, a giant of a man beamed down at them with a big wide smile.  It was dark now.

"Hello! Firs'-year?" They nodded warily as one and their cats hopped up onto their shoulders. "Follow me. Firs'-years! Over here!" He went through the crowd like a steam liner in the sea and the twins followed closely behind so as not to get stuck behind someone else.  Tongo and Grim clutching onto their shoulders like owls.

They didn't know where Draco had gone but they were hardly thinking about him at all, as Hagrid gathered them with a large number of children their age, someone started talking to them.

"Hello, I'm Matthew, what's your names?" A small boy with black spiky hair said suddenly appearing at their sides.

"_We are Malfoys_ and we do not talk to _you."_ Darklis said haughtily, the boy frowned at them and moved away.

"What did you have to say that for? He was only asking our names, being polite."

"Father says we have to live up to the name of Malfoy, that means we have to show everyone else that we are above them." Cecelia fumed at her.

"You are as bad as Draco!" Then she stopped talking to her completely.  Tongo followed her example and also looked angry with Darklis.

Then they followed the giant down a long steep path, following the light of his lantern against his immense black silhouette until it suddenly opened out onto a great black lake.  On a mountain the other side of the water Hogwarts stood proud and shimmering with each window sparkling with light.  The crowd of first years gasped with awe and all noticed the little array of boats lined up at the bank.

"Yeh'll have ter go over the water in them.  No more'n four to a boat!" They clambered in to the boats quickly, Cecelia and Darklis were the only two left, so they clambered in reluctantly hitching up their robes and sat in their boat.

"Can I come in with you?" Cecelia beamed widely and opened her mouth to say 'yes' but Darklis snapped round and said: "No." to the little girl in a quick snap.

_"Darklis!"_

"Be quiet, honestly Cecelia you're forgetting yourself.  _We_ are _Malfoys_.  And _as Malfoys_ _we _must act in a certain way, _not like these simple folk."_ She spat grabbing an oar and pushing themselves off the bank easily and into the water.

"How do you know what to do? We've never been in a rowing boat before in our lives!"

"It's just a little boat, honestly use some sense Cecie.  There are oars and you use them to row." They drifted out following the rest of the little boats across the lake, silver with moonshine.  Tongo and Grim were not the only cats in a boat, owls always flew to the castle while their cages and the rest of everybody's luggage was taken to Hogwarts and toads went into their owner's pockets.  The two cats climbed down from the twins' shoulders and got to the front of the boat peering curiously into the water swishing their tails.  Darklis pushed an oar into Cecelia's hands and ordered her to row, which she did, finding it quite easy really and rather fun.

The two cats shot back suddenly and yelped into Cecelia and Darklis' arms.  Before they could ask themselves what had happened something breathed through the surface of the water, like a whale, and great ripples rocked the group of boats.  Then about ten fat slimy brown tentacles rose and wavered around them.  The twins screamed with the rest of the first years while Hagrid in his single boat was knocked hard with the largest tentacle, the giant man was tipped right over into the water gulping and glugging trying to stay afloat, but something took him under.  No one saw that happen though because already most of the boats were upside down and children cried, calling out in fear swimming back to their boats.

The twins were holding each other around their waists and screamed watching the rising water as another tentacle pulled their boat down, front tipping forward so that they rose up and started feeling themselves slip forward.  Tongo and Grim hissed and gripped on with their claws uselessly.

The lake was filled with crying girls and boys splashing about and trying to hold onto the upturned boats, some couldn't swim and spluttered for help weakly sinking down.  Cats yowled and dragged their heavy soaked fur up onto the boats shivering and shaking.

The boat tipped.

They held on tight to each other and went in holding their breaths, Tongo and Grim leapt and splashed into the water nearby immediately swimming for another boat to get onto.

It was bone chillingly cold under the water and every sound was muffled in the bubbles.  Cecelia wasn't holding her breath anymore, and she struggled to hold on or keep calm.  Darklis wasn't any calmer but she was holding her breath well, and risked opening her eyes to quickly see the many legs kicking under the surface.  She saw tentacles sweeping past them and whimpered.  Cecelia opened her eyes and mouth at the same time and spluttered gripping harder to Darklis' neck and hung onto her for life, Darklis looked up to the slipping light and pushed her legs back hard to rise but her sister's weight was too much for her and she lost her strength, let the last of her air go and screamed, or tried to as they sunk quickly feeling deep throbbing pain in their heads and lungs, she was about to die in this freezing water a little girl with her sister and other first years on their first day at Hogwarts.

Something strong gripped her dress and she felt herself being dragged up, still Cecelia was holding her waist and she felt both their weight dragging down just the same.  Then they broke the surface and the noise of screaming and wailing washed over them as they coughed and breathed in thankfully, the pressure on her head and chest were quickly gone and she felt life holding her firmly again.  But they were still being held on by something and it dragged them both away from the panic in the middle of the lake.  Darklis opened her eyes and saw what it was that had saved them; the green slimy face with murky yellow eyes looked round at her and smiled, well smiled the best it could, its face obviously wasn't evolved enough to master that expression just yet.  It was holding onto her sister's dress from the back and Darklis realised that there were two of them with her, one holding onto her and one for Cecelia.  She couldn't tell immediately their sexes but she didn't care, in a matter of seconds from being dragged up from the lake they were rested on the banks and left, panting for air and just lying back relishing in the delight of life.

Others were also coming up, some were unconscious and some came still struggling and calling, but all taken to the banks and left by the green water beings who turned back and went to rescue more.  Darklis helped Cecelia sit up and they watched, still coughing weakly, as the green people gathered at the centre of the boats and turned them up the right way again, pushing and pulling them to the banks as they had done with the children.  They could see Hagrid wringing out his shaggy black hair nearby, at least these people were intelligent enough to put everyone on the same bank together.

But what had happened?

The water was soon calm and a large number of green heads bobbed up and down cheering, screeching a strange language, like dolphins they screeched and waved at Hagrid cheering, who waved back and watched them flip back under to be gone completely, disappearing as quickly and silently as they had arrived.

"Had a little mis'ap M'Gonagall!" Hagrid said at the entrance to Hogwarts puffing and wheezing. "We nee' stretchers quick, the 'ole lot's got turned upside down in the water." McGonagall took in his waterlogged clothes and knew that if Hagrid was in such a state then it must be something bad.

"I'll get Dumbledore immediately, you go back quick, how many are okay?"

"The Merpeople gottus out. Saved the 'ole lot of us they did! Some'r not wakin' though. I told 'em to stay where they were."

"Good, okay. I'll get as much staff as possible as quickly as I can!" She turned and ran out through the doors into the great hall up to the staff table, causing the pupils present waiting for the sorting to bring up a loud discussion about what was wrong.  She stood beyond the table from Dumbledore and what she said to him made him and other teachers immediately jump up, pushing back their chairs that squeaked on the floor.  Even Snape got up and looked seemingly very worried or shocked.

"Sit calm, the sorting will have to be delayed!" Dumbledore said to the school as he lead the procession of teachers out of the hall.

"You two alrigh'? nothin' broken, can you walk?"

"Yes, we're okay…just shocked thank you." Darklis answered for them both stepping back and still holding onto Cecelia who was whimpering and muttering to herself.

"What are you saying?"

"Where's Tongo? And Grim?" Darklis looked around, where were they?

"I don't know, maybe they'll find their own way to us soon." Just as she said that two wet and shivering Abyssinian cats mewed and ran up to them purring and rubbing against their legs.  The twins both looked round and saw other people hugging their pets and each other, some laughing or crying trying to cope with what happened.  They bent down and hugged their cats in their arms walking over to others grouped away from the rest looking less worried about what had just happened to them.

"It was the squid!" Someone said.

"Those were Merpeople, I thought I was dead but they saved all our lives!" A blonde girl sighed.

"I so wanted to thank them but they didn't stay…"

"That was amazing."

"Where's Roger?"

"Is Helen around?"

"I lost my toad!" Darklis and Cecelia listened and realised how close they had been to death, the thought sent terrible cold chills up their spines and they hugged their cats closer.

They could see other figures striding towards them and realised they were teachers.

"Rubeus!" Dumbledore's strong voice called out in the dark and he came into view.  Cecelia gasped.

"Wow, he looks really old!" She said, Darklis elbowed her in the ribs.

"That's rude!" She hissed.

"Sorry." Only seven people were finding it hard to breathe, one person was blue with coughing and wheezing, curled up in the grass convulsing.  It was that boy the teachers first went up to, one red haired lady tried to move him but instead started searching his pockets on his robes.  She found a strange looking object and held it up, Dumbledore and a few of the teachers nodded understandably but Snape and others obviously had not understood what Pomfrey was trying to tell them.  A stretcher was made for the boy and as his eyes rolled up into his head and his breathing dwindled away Pomfrey flicked her wand at the boy's chest and at once his wheezing stopped, he silenced and went deathly still.

"They haven't _killed_ him have they?!" Cecelia whispered trembling into Darklis' ear.

"I don't know…" Darklis was watching and waiting…

Snape fished into his robes and pulled out a bottle, shook it and looked at the label in the glow of his wand light and took out another similar sized bottle from another pocket, shook it and took the cork out.  He poured a drop from that into the first bottle and shook it quickly; the teachers and Pomfrey were silently urging him on.  He patted his pockets and produced a needle and filled it with the mixture, then handed it to the nurse and slapped his hands behind his back and waited, looking relieved to have the pressure of making potions instantaneously before the patient died before him, off of him.  Pomfrey pushed back the boy's right sleeve and thumbed for a vein on the underside of his elbow, put the needle and potion into his body.

It was a tense moment, for the teachers and all the children standing around watching with worry.

The boy suddenly took a deep breath and twisted his legs.  The teachers all sighed and clapped happily, except for Snape who just sighed and looked relieved to have that trouble behind them, he flicked his wand and produced a large beam of light across the ground.

"Follow Professor McGonagall and Hagrid to the school." He ordered, the people obeyed with no questions.  He didn't snap or say it in a menacing way, it was just clear to them that this was a man who knew what he was doing and had large amount of authority about him.  Cecelia and Darklis followed, Tongo and Grim skipping along beside them and poking playfully at the other cats as they went on up to the doors and into the entrance hall where they could hear the loud incessant murmur from the rest of the school in the Great Hall.

They didn't have to wait long until everyone was back, all the teachers and the boy who was walking along by the nurse happily and healthily.  Cecelia and Darklis still didn't understand what had been wrong with him.

"Welcome to Hogwarts." McGonagall started catching her breath and nodding to the rest of the staff as they went back into the hall, everybody got a quick glimpse of the inside and of the other pupils talking to each other before the doors shut again.  "You will be sorted and placed into a house each, when you are sorted you will sit down at your house table and stay in that house for the rest of your time here.  Now, let's get you in a line of two's and walk in to be sorted.  Follow me, try and look…" She thought desperately for the word with them all standing dripping and bedraggled in front of her with eyes like beaten dogs. "…Happy.  And I'm afraid your cats will have to go elsewhere for now.  Toads can be kept in your pockets. But cats would just get in the way here." She sighed and stretched her neck high to look more presentable and swooped round, thrust open the wide doors and began walking, everyone followed her in a line, Darklis and Cecelia near the back and that boy first in front behind McGonagall.

The hall was the most brilliant place they'd ever been, candles hanging above the four tables lit brightly, students lined on benches watching as they walked past them all dripping and robes sagging with water, shoes squelching, noses dripping with drops falling from their hair, brand new pointy school hats flopped back over.  It was one of the saddest sights ever seen on the first day of term.

They came to a halt at the staff table and McGonagall placed a three-legged stool in front of them with an old stitched hat in her right hand, and a scroll of names in her left hand.  The floor where they'd walked through was covered with puddles and sloppy muddy footprints.

"Sit and be chosen when I call out your name." McGonagall said.  "Andrews, Oliver." A wet drippy looking boy, not just because of being dunked in the lake, with short blond hair slipped and slapped across the floor; his robes were perhaps a little too long for him and they dragged behind.  He sat down with a 'flump' and waited only a few short seconds to be sorted into Gryffindor.

"Axix, Simon."

"Gryffindor!" The hat squealed happily.  Already two Gryffindors, their table was clapping and cheering as the second boy joined them.

"Beth, Alicia."

"Ravenclaw!" More cheering from the other side of the hall.

"Bonnod, Gennus."

"Hufflepuff!" So the list went on, by the time 's' came up five people were in Gryffindor, four in Slytherin, two in Ravenclaw and six in Hufflepuff.

"Snape, Robert." The hall gasped as one and instantly shot round to the dark looking teacher seated near Dumbledore.  He blinked realising that all eyes were on him and he sat up from his half slouch that he had been accustomed to for the past years.

"No relation at all." He said quickly and waved his hand. "There are many Snapes around the world, it's not as popular as Smith but you'd be stupid to think there was ever one Snape family in existence." The hall slowly turned their eyes back to the sorting.

"Do continue Professor." Snape smiled courteously at her.

"Yes.  Robert…" The new Snape stepped forward seemingly quite embarrassed with discovering that one of the teachers was also called Snape, and now the rest of the school would remember and recognise him forever.  How embarrassing.

"Gryffindor!" The school rumbled with quiet, but audible laughs.  Robert didn't understand why until someone told him at the Gryffindor table that the Professor who shared his surname was the head of Slytherin and quite a mean guy at times, most of the time, all the time, and that the Gryffindors and Slytherins as a rule, never got on well.  His presence may cause some confusion at Hogwarts.

"Timber, Sarah-Grace."

"Slytherin!"  Soon it was down to the 'm's' and Draco on the Slytherin table watched unconcernedly at his sisters preparing themselves.  It was only Cecelia, Darklis, the boy who was saved by the lake and three other boys left waiting.

"Malfoy- " Some Gryffindors and Slytherins began muttering. " -Cecelia." Cecelia bubbled and walked in a dignified way to the stool, sat and closed her eyes smiling as McGonagall lay the hat over her head.

They waited.

Nothing for almost a minute.

Then…

"Hufflepuff!" The Slytherins all roared with disgust and Draco with some other others rose from their seats to glare evilly at the hat and its occupier, the other houses were laughing, non more so than Gryffindor.

"Do sit down." McGonagall drawled tiresomely after she got the hall to silence.  "This is a matter you, nor anyone else can have a say in.  Sit _down_, Slytherins." They slowly obeyed and Draco too, still glaring in disgust and anger all mixed into one boiling emotion.

"Go to the Hufflepuff table now, miss Malfoy." She took the hat off the girl and pointed with the hand holding the scroll to the table in front of them all with older, sceptical faces.  Cecelia went to protest but seeing the expression on McGonagall's face and already immensely embarrassed, she walked to the Hufflepuff table and sat down between two second years who were kind enough to draw her a stool and hand her a tissue since a waterfall of silent tears were rushing down her cheeks already.

"Malfoy, Darklis." Attention was switched to the other twin and Darklis sat on the stool feeling apprehensive; if her sister had been chosen for Hufflepuff material then would she too be a Hufflepuff? The thought disgusted her and after only a few seconds under the hat when she thought how much she hated the Hufflepuffs like a true Slytherin the hat sent her to the same house as her brother.  There was no applause from the Slytherins, instead she got just as many bad looks from her new house as Cecelia got, except these looks were of suspicion and confusion; the Slytherins were looking at a complete double of Cecelia with Darklis and her both wearing neat black gloves and having the same blonde-white curls, the Slytherins really were not sure who they should trust more.

And so the sorting went on.  In the end the house that got more new first years was Ravenclaw, then second with the most new students was Gryffindor, Slytherin and then Hufflepuff.  Cecelia sobbed and watched the rest of the Hufflepuffs on her table generously passing plates and bowls full of food across in front of her, already the hall was awash with the soft murmuring of hundreds of voices laughing and exchanging gossip between each other, but she just shook her head politely at those who offered her some food and thought about how much she had disgraced her family by sitting with these Hufflepuffs.

"You're a Malfoy?" The boy on her right casually asked with a little disbelief at his own words. She nodded and looked down at her plate for the first time; it was filled with warm food, appetising and tempting. "Dunno what's worse, a true-born Slytherin in Hufflepuff or a true-born Hufflepuff in Slytherin." Cecelia slowly turned an irritated eye on the boy and he smiled anime style with a happy wave, (A/N: well if Cecelia knew about anime she would have best described his smile like that à ;D).

"Hi, I'm Max!" He held up a bread roll and broke off a bit for her.  "You're gonna be in trouble I can see it.  Ain't no good that'll come of being half Slytherin and half Hufflepuff."

"But I _am_ a Slytherin, the _stupid_ hat put me in the _wrong_ house."

"Nah, the hat _always_ chooses what's true.  You're like a rare specimen, a Malfoy in Hufflepuff! People'll be talking about it for years!" Cecelia broke down with another rush of tears and she buried her face in the tissue the girl on her left had given to her when she first sat down.

"Max, shut up." A girl opposite, and maybe in fourth or fifth year, said. "Don't pay any attention to the little sod, he just likes being a pain, don't you Max? And his name's not really Max, it's Markus."

"But I hate the name Markus, Max is so much cooler!" The boy retaliated. "Besides, everyone calls me Max, why'd you have to tell her my real name was Markus anyway? Why'd she care; She's just a Malfoy." At those words Cecelia felt such a large swelling of anger inside her that she threw down the tissue at her side and stamped on the boy's left foot under the table, he satisfyingly squealed like a girl and went to rub his sore foot but knocked his head on the table whilst bending down.  Suddenly someone was laughing and it was her.  The fifth year girl was laughing too and soon the next six people on both sides of the table to her left and right heard what had happened and started to laugh as well.  Max looked up red-faced and decided that he might as well just join in with the rest of them.

Darklis and Draco, seated side by side at the head of the table sneered across at the Hufflepuff table watching their little sister weeping pathetically on the other side of the hall.  They both shared the same thought and if they had a conversation it would have gone like this:

"What's she doing over there? She's a pure-blooded Malfoy and a Slytherin through and through!" That would have been Darklis.

"Father will not like to hear of this; I shall tell him immediately, after the feast, by owl and then we shall see her in Slytherin before tomorrow morning." Darklis had a doubt despite how much she knew her father would rant and rave using all his money as bribes, she knew as well as any other first year that the sorting hat of Hogwarts chose what was true and couldn't be changed after it had made a decision.  She was deeply disappointed in her little sister and greatly disgusted by the way she suddenly allowed herself to start the whole Hufflepuff house off in happy laughter at some joke she had made, but she was also very sad inside.  Hurt.  The first time they had ever been separated, and it made her heart feel sore from thinking of all the time in their life they had shared being the same, being one person split into two and both pleasing their parents with their angelic beauty and good behaviour, but above all it hurt how she knew they had _both_ kept up their firm beliefs that the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors were adversaries or something to walk over.  At least, that's what she had always believed.  Now she was a Hufflepuff? Did Darklis really know her sister after all?

Coming back to what really was happening, Darklis rested her head onto her right palm and sighed, watching her sister laugh and finally accept the Hufflepuffs offering her food and she started making conversation with them.  Darklis was worrying that maybe some Malfoy secret would be let loose by her…like how they knew all too well that their father had been a Death Eater before they were born, how Voldemort was alive again and how their father was still under his command… it was one subject the whole family knew that they had to keep quiet about and pretend that they weren't involved in the slightest.

Darklis and Cecelia already knew more dark magic than anyone in the fifth year.

Draco was taught it too, but they never showed that they did know some of the most forbidden spells known to wizards to anyone, all the countless times Draco could have cursed Harry, Ron and Hermione with the worst spells and he kept his cool because he knew the price if ever the Ministry or Lord Voldemort should find out.  However, in truth the twins were too young and un-experienced to perform any of the spells and Draco had never tried so they posed no threat to anyone.  Yet.

The feasting continued, new first years were getting to know each other and find their places in the social backgrounds of their houses.  Cecelia enjoyed talking to Max, because he was funny and cute with that scruffy black hair and devilish grin. The fifth year girl was called Harriet Friday and was very interested in brewing potions and the Dark Arts, so unusual for a Hufflepuff who most people naturally assumed they'd enjoy Herbology and Charms above everything else, Cecelia was eager to find out what lessons she would most enjoy so that she could fit in more with some of the conversations on the table which were mainly about boyfriends and girlfriends, plants and herbs, cooking, favourite dishes and what so-and-so did over the holidays.  She liked these people; they were talkative and kind, careful not to offend and worry, so polite when offering food and a friendly handshake.  She liked the Hufflepuffs and felt glad that she had had the chance to meet them all, after glancing once to the Slytherin table that was quiet and well ordered, demanding to be passed the grub and get things over as quickly as possible so that they could go back to their dungeons.  Cecelia smiled and relaxed at last.

"_Malfoy having sisters._  Biggest shock in my life I think." Ron was muttering to the nodding of his friends over on the Gryffindor table.

"Well, it isn't unusual, there's a lot of people who have younger brothers and sisters so young that they don't come to Hogwarts until their older sibling's left or in their last year." Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Well yeah, but _Malfoy? _He's_ never _mentioned _anything-"_

"Oh Ron, you can't go on with this silly game all the time.  Yes he is an arse but he's still human so let him have some sisters and call it an end.  Isn't that right Harry?" She turned to Harry who since returning to the familiar settings of Hogwarts, had cheered up an awful lot in the past few hours.

"Surprising but not very disturbing." He stated popping some trifle into his mouth and looking over to the Hufflepuff table laughing away; the main surprise was that one of them had gone into Hufflepuff, which Ron emphasised by grinning a lot and nudging Hermione to look at the sour faces on the Slytherin table.

"Anyway, as Head Girl I have been given the duty to inform the prefects of the new Gryffindor common room password.  Harry, it's _Chocolate froggies."_

"Thanks Head Girl." Of course Harry had been made a prefect the year before and now it was his job to take all the new first years to the common room and explain about the school, just like Percy had done many years ago.  There was another prefect as well, it was Neville and he seemed most nervous about it all, but in the last few years he'd grown in confidence so much that Professor Sprout had persuaded Professor McGonagall to make him the only other prefect to team with Harry.

Two prefects for each house and one Head Girl from Gryffindor, one Head Boy from Ravenclaw by the name of Simon Tarrot who Hermione was quite infatuated briefly back in her fifth year.  Now though she couldn't stand his stuck-up attitude believing he knew so much more than her, Hermione couldn't care less if he really did know so much more than her but it was the _way he kept on at it_ that made him so dislikeable.

Dumbledore stood up after the feasting had ended and told the Prefects to take all the new years to their new houses promptly so that everyone could have a nice rest before lessons would begin again the next day.

Hermione had been given instructions before the start of term through her annual Hogwarts letter that she and Simon would have to go with the staff and be told what to do.  Harry and Neville organised the first years; all quivering with apprehension and all very clearly exhausted from the day, then walked out of the Great hall up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.  Harry told them all how they had to stay alert in order to work out where corridors led to after a staircase might decide to move – other routes e.t.c – and introduced them to sir Cadogan the knight, resting below a tree next to his horse that was grazing on the grass nearby, he prompted Neville to explain about Peeves the Poltergeist and how to avoid him or get rid of him, the names of all the ghosts he could remember and then by that time the common room was before them, hidden by the painting of the Fat Lady smiling in her pink dress.

"Password dear?" She said.

"Chocolate froggies." Harry said clearly so that the rest could hear and the portrait swung open revealing the hole they had to climb through to get into their common room.

Harry and Neville exchanged satisfied glances; their first task of being prefects was completed.

"And here is Madam Angel.  Over one hundred and fifty-seven years old." The Hufflepuff first years waved or smiled politely at the young woman with white wings wrapped around herself concealing how naked she was.  She nodded regally and acknowledged them happily.

"Be at peace." She said in her soft calming voice and the Hufflepuffs went on with their prefect giggling and smiling happily, greeting each portrait they passed with a wave and a friendly hello despite a few that were bad tempered portraits barking foul language at them as they scurried quickly past.

"Where do the Slytherins go?" Cecelia asked the girl by her side – her name was Lucy Bassinroar and had curly black hair.

"To the dungeons," Lucy said disgustedly. "They're so mean and they fit the dungeons so well." Cecelia didn't like people always referring to the Slytherins as 'mean' and 'snobs' because all her life she'd lived with Slytherins and always thought she was one.  But she let the insults pass because now she was here in Hufflepuff and had to make do with it.

"Here is Officer Charlie, how are you Charlie?" The prefect asked merrily as the old officer astride his horse turned to salute.

"Spiffing my good boy, just spiffing." He was an old officer painted in uniform of the late eighteenth century and was a gentleman always polite and willing to spark up conversations with anyone who walked past.  It was generally believed that he was romancing a water fairy inside her painted pool up on the fifth floor, corridor two.

"These new first years, young Adam?"

"Yes, they are Charlie.  I'm just showing them to their new house common room." The prefect known as Adam confessed.

"Ahh, then welcome, young children of the world, enjoy yourself at Hogwarts; it is truly the best place to grow up." They thanked him for the kind words and went off again finally making it to their common room.

It was a brick wall.

"No passwords, just a kindly touch and the room opens to you." Adam said pointing to a tiny indent on a stone in the wall that appeared to be an animal's footprint.  Of course – the Hufflepuff symbol was a Badger and it was the mark of a Badger's paw – unnoticeable unless you were looking for it.  Adam stroked it gently with his index finger and suddenly to the right of it a door arched open to his height and it was just a simple archway in the wall revealing three steps up to a door painted yellow with the Hufflepuff house shield.  They followed Adam up and went inside, behind them, Cecelia noticed the other trailing Hufflepuff prefect – a girl – shut the door behind by stroking another badger's paw on the inside of the archway and the wall closed in on them.

The door to the Hufflepuff common room opened and Cecelia fell in love immediately with the idyllic warm fire and the soft looking couches and knitted rugs spread out over the floor.  The walls were painted calm colours of meadow fresh yellow and drapes of the Hufflepuff shield hung from the ceiling.

"We're in the direct centre of the castle.  Some could say that the centre of Hogwarts is love and kindness which the Hufflepuffs are commonly known to be." Adam seemed so natural in saying all this that Cecelia knew he was one of these true-born-Hufflepuffs who dearly loved his house and his friends.  She wasn't disgusted.  Strangely.

"One the right are the girl's dormitories, boys on the left, find your rooms labelled 'first years' and you're luggage will be there for you along with your four poster beds all heated nicely.  Someone will be in to wake you up in the morning so have pleasant dreams all of you!" He spread out his arms as a sign that he had finished his job and that they should go.  Cecelia followed the girls to her dorm and joined in their sighing at the serenity of their new bedrooms and leapt into their beds, changing into nightdresses and saying goodnight to each other.

"Y'know Cecelia Malfoy," Lucy said when they were all about to drop off. "For a Malfoy, you ain't bad at all.  Goodnight." The other girls responded with the same kindness and Cecelia felt at home.  When she fell asleep, it was the first night ever away from her sister and she didn't even think about her or Draco.

In the chilly dampness of the dungeons, a wall stirred and someone in black swept out.  He held a dagger in his hands and was briefly visible before he concealed it away.

_"Just keep going up the stairs and you shall find yourself far…far away…up you go, good boy…good boy…see the entrance hall before you…now keep walking, keep going…that's right, that's right, you know the way…and now…let me…take over…"_

Presently, it began to rain.

(**Green Pig**:- Woooooo….. I am writing chapter 5, it will be a two-part chapter so chapter six will be chapter 5 part two ^_^ I decided after a long struggle to get writing chapter 5 that a two part chapter was the only way to get what I really wanted…which I'm not too sure what that was…exactly… ::looks confused:: er, well anyway please don't forget to review, I really love to get reviews! If there is anyone out there who would like to beta read for me, I'm only too happy for you to email me and ask:

eleri_nuvios@hotmail.com

Thanks!! Goodbye!!!!)


	5. Blood Falls Part One

**_(Green Pig ~PROUD Hufflepuff~ :- _**_Howdy Ho! Well here's chapter 5 at long last! Sorry it took so long but I have been without a pc! ::BOO HOO:: And the next part - chapter 6 isn't written yet because I just wiped it all and I'm starting it again! (it was just *so* wrong) I actually cut a lot off the end of this chapter that would've run into the next but, ah forget it, all you need to know is the next part isn't coming for a while... ::looks nervous:: okay bye!)_

**_DISCLAIMER:_**_  Harry Potter is not mine, I'm writing this for my own pleasure and I regularly pray at my J.K Rowling shrine for the next books' speedy journey to bookshops hehe ^_~ Okay I'm really not that insane but you get the idea!_

Chapter Five

Blood Falls – Part One

Eyes twitched and sprang open, the glimmering silver irises flickered left and right frantically; searching.

Draco groaned and put his palm across his eyes; too bright, even the dark gloom of his dungeon room was too bright this morning.

_What happened last night? I don't remember falling asleep._

He attempted to sit up but found his muscles far too weak to support him.  What was the time? He wasn't sure what day it was either, but that was absurd! The first day back at Hogwarts wasn't it? _Wasn't it?_

Flashes of memory passed through his mind; the feast at the Slytherin table, Cecelia going over to Hufflepuff; Darklis commenting briefly on her disappointment with her and the obvious mocking stares from the Gryffindors at the shame his sister had brought onto the family.  Especially from Harry Potter and his stupid friends Weasley and Hermione Granger.  That was another thing that Draco wondered about, it seemed Granger didn't think it was as funny as her ex-boyfriend Ron had thought all last night – she didn't laugh once.  There was something on her mind, her eyes wandered away from her friends and wandered the hall, not searching, just wandering.

_Bored with the Gryffindors?_

He was slowly feeling his muscles strengthening and risked another attempt to sit up.  He just managed it, but Draco knew that the cause of his sudden lethargy could have been linked to why his skin was paler than usual.  He rubbed his left wrist; it was painful all of a sudden and pulled back his sleeve – he hadn't changed out of the clothes he wore last night and they were filthy with mud, but he hadn't the time to think about that now; his left wrist showed the definite mark where something had slashed right across his veins.  The sudden vision of fast flowing blood pouring from his wrists made him recoil and he pressed the seemingly healed wound to his stomach, realising as he held his left arm with his right hand that the other wrist had also be cut, yet had also healed to leave only the mark of a faint scar.  Hopefully it would fade in time, but what was going on?

_Who has done this? Did I do this?!_

His head was spinning with questions and blurred memories of the night after he left the Great hall for bed; he remembered clearly the walk back to his common room, greeting old acquaintances, going through things with Crabbe and Goyle about where they should be the next morning.  Then he went into his new private room – all seventh years had private rooms in the Slytherin house, all years in the fifth and above – and he sat down on his bed, spotted his trunk had been brought in by the House Elves of Hogwarts, felt sleepy and relaxed, leaned back…

_…must've fallen asleep._

Did he cut his wrists? Where was the tool that done this… He leaned forward to open a drawer in his bedside table and there, in the first place he looked was the dreadful dagger, stained with blood.  _His blood.  _If it had a face it would have been sneering mockingly at him, but as it was just an object all it did was lie there.  Though it was clearly staring him right in the eye.  He didn't like its expression at all.

He slammed the drawer back, leapt up and turned away from the sickening thing.  Maybe it was just his imagination, but his wrists were hurting more now, like the memory of the scorching blade across his flesh was coming back.

_Why don't I remember?_

"Where is Malfoy this morning?" The Slytherins stupidly looked at the empty seat where Draco should have been as usual.  McGonagall shook her head irritably. "First day back in his last year and he doesn't turn up to his first lessons.  Ulrich, please would you fetch Malfoy from the Slytherin Common room? If he's still in bed you can hex him, you do have my permission." Nott stood and before he made any move towards the door he waited to see if McGonagall would add at the end that she was only joking.

He left with no extra comments.  Hah! Now he could hex Draco Malfoy all he liked!

_"Look at yourself, pitiful." I know. "You should be ashamed of your failures." Yes... "That's all you are." Yeah, yeah, I know… I know. "So what are you going to do?" … Dunno… I gotta go to lessons, apologise to McGonagall I suppose._

Draco's heart jolted, his breath caught and he slumped to the floor by his mirror on the inside of his cupboard door. His hand reached up to the bedpost to right himself but he couldn't shake off the suffocating pressure he felt all over his heart and throat.

_God… what is happening…? "Think about what you just decided." What? "What will you do now?"…I want to get away from this pain, my heart, I know it's my heart! Why is it hurting so much?_

A wave of incredible weakness swept across him, the world spun, grew dark and distorted.

**_"…DRACO…"                                                         B_****_a_****_st_****_ar_****_d!_**_ Y_**_o_****_u_**_l__ittle_**_th_****_ie_**_v__i__ng __b__as__tar__d**!**_

**_                               "…DRACO?"             _**_I __didn't take _**_it!_**__

**_"DRACO…?"             L_****_i_****_a_****_r!_****_Y_****_o_****_u_**_ar__e__ a _**_liar!_****__**

**_Wh_****_at _**_h_**_a_****_s_**_he done __n_**_o_****_w_****_?_**_ Have you f_**_o_****_u_****_nd_****_it_****_Lu_****_ci_****_us?_****_               "…DRACO…?"    _****__**

**_"…DRACO!"                                "DRACO!"                            He_**_ needs to be _**_p_****_u_****_n_****_is_****_hed!_**__

**_I_**_ didn't take the __d_**_i_****_a_**_m__on__d!_

**_He_**_ took _**_it?        _****_"DRACO!!"                                   "DRA_****_CO_****_!!"  _******__

_I _**_de_****_m_****_a_****_n_****_d_**_ you hand it over right _**_n_****_o_****_w!!!_****__**

**_"D_****_r_****_a_****_c_****_o!"_**

The blackness vanished as quickly as it had come, his head ached and twitched, but he could hear him now that the voices had silenced inside his mind.

"Draco! Draco!" He couldn't move, he couldn't respond.  Just listen. "Come on man! Wake up!…"

_Maybe I will die right here…_

"Fine! Then you face McGonagall later, hurry up or you'll be late for Charms class as well!"

_… Nott… he's left now… Charms… yeah… Charms lesson, second period… Transfiguration, I gotta be in Transfig-yur-ation…I gotta get up, come on Draco, you can get off the floor, show a little dignity. "Yeah, show a little dignity."_

Draco struggled with his breath, sorted out an easy rhythm to keep up and stretched his fingers, one by one to start his muscles working again.  After five long minutes he finally had the strength to open his eyes and sit up.  He really didn't think there was any point in leaving his bed today – he felt very sick and ready to collapse any moment.

_"Why do you worry so much about school? Studying long hours into the night is a fool's way to live.  You should be free… you'd like to be free wouldn't you…?" Yes.  I would.  But freedom comes only when you make the effort to gain it.  "Stupid logic." It's the truth… "That is why you fail." No it isn't; I just don't try… "Because you want freedom… you know the real truth inside don't you…? It could be so much easier if you'd just follow in your father's footsteps."_

Green and silver light flashed across his line of vision, as he sat there leaning his heavy head against the bedpost, too weak to do much else, he thought of the terrible things he knew his father had done; Death Eating, following the Dark Lord like a loyal dog, but only when it suited him.  When he was younger, much younger he found this out and at first was terrified of the power his father held, as he grew though he learnt more about the way the Ministry ran the Wizarding world, always hiding those with magic away from the Muggles, he learnt to agree with whatever his father said to avoid a beating and soon he too believed that the only way to live was to get rid of the Ministry and get rid of the Muggles who ruled the earth.  His favourite thing to state, in conversations with his parents whenever the Ministry and Muggles were brought up, was:_ Why should those without magic, have so much power over those with magic? And why does the Ministry encourage this way of life for us to continue as it is when we could easily overpower the Muggles?  _It really never made sense to him.  It still didn't, as far as he always saw it when you are blessed with better abilities, how come it was the magical community who had to hide away like _they_ were the outcasts? The freaks?

Draco flopped down onto his pillows and relaxed, the pain all gone - all that was left was numbness.  Like a feeling of complete… nothing.  He wasn't thinking, wasn't dreaming, he wasn't registering anything he looked at: the ceiling, the pillow, the cupboard or his bedside table with the drawer that hid the dagger from view.  Even that had escaped his memory.  All he saw, in his own head, was darkness.  The voices returned…

Draco sat back up again and swung his legs off the bed, stood, reached for the drawer and took the dagger, then left the room.  Just like that Draco had got up and left, still in the muddy robes he wore all day yesterday and last night, still unwashed or without his school bag to go to his lessons, he made his way through the corridor that led away from the dormitories and into the main area of the Slytherin common room, through the secret wall out into the corridor in the dungeons, concealing the dagger once again in his robes he headed up and out of the dungeons to the Entrance Hall.  

Then things started to go a bit hazy again, the darkness was twisting and curling around him, occasionally he saw through and saw the light, he wanted to get to it but he was so tired and doubtful that he could ever make it, the darkness swelled in again and he grew cold…

Cold as ice…

… Cold as death.

"Well then that's one detention for Draco Malfoy, I shall go fetch him myself later when he leaves your Common room, me being a Gryffindor I can't possibly go in there myself.  What was he doing?"

"He didn't answer, I think he's still asleep, Professor." Some of the Gryffindors chuckled; it was always great to hear Draco Malfoy's name dragged in the dirt.  He had got the first detention of anyone in the seventh year and he still lay about in bed completely ignoring his lessons like the typical Malfoy and Slytherin that he was.  Everyone knew his grades had never been great, his fifth year was the worst – Harry, Ron and Hermione and subsequently all the rest of the Gryffindors in their year heard how much he failed his exams in the fifth year.  He came back in the sixth very quiet and he had a sulk all through December – that's when people began the rumours that his parents were so angry with him afterwards that he had been punished so hard with the Dark magic the Malfoys loved to use, and all his pride and inner strength as a Malfoy had been cracked, shattered.  He did work harder though, after Christmas he studied all the time – Hermione always saw him remarkably content to work alone without the protection of Crabbe and Goyle long into the night at his own private little table (that he'd suddenly seemed to have complete ownership of) in the library.

"Thank you for wasting your precious lesson time Ulrich." McGonagall went on.  Hermione came back from her thoughts. "The rest of the class have already started their final work pieces.  You must read your revision textbooks and complete the task set for you, the deadline is December 10th, so you have plenty of time to gain the best marks you can.  Copy out what is written on the board and then you may begin your planning." Nott sat back down at his place and obediently began copying down the notes.

_… Always busy, he's just like me in a way.  I suppose that's why we never get to hear about him very much. _ Hermione's head was too full of other things to worry about end of year exam tasks.  It felt weird not to be working - even Ron and Harry had their heads down and plenty of workbooks out, already scribbling out diagrams and plans.  She looked down at her parchment:

__

__

_Final Tasks for Seventh Years:_

_Your final exam in JUNE will test your knowledge and skill in Transfiguration, you will need to use skills learnt from all your years at Hogwarts to complete the HIGHLY SECRET final task.  To prepare you, there shall be THREE Work Pieces;_

__

_1) __Useless and inanimate__ to practical and decorative e.g. a common rock into a coffee table_

_2) __Practical and decorative__ to practical and mobile e.g. coffee table into a moving food and drink dispenser – great for parties and special occasions when the guests drop in._

_3) __Practical and mobile__ to animate e.g transfigurate the coffee table into a small living creature – either a rat, cat or an owl._

__

_The challenge is not necessarily whether you can in the end turn a non-living thing into a living thing, but whether you can turn a very large inanimate object into a small animate creature that must be a rat, cat or an owl of SPECIFIC BREED._

_You are allowed this time from the 4th September to December 10th to prepare and experiment for **task 1)** listed above, as well as complete your research studies on famous Animagus wizards and witches of the past, how to combat them and how to recognise them.  The deadline for your studies is November 21st._

It was a long task, but one she was sure she could handle without much problem.  Out of all the subjects she took at Hogwarts Transfiguration, Charms, Defence against the Dark Arts and Herbology were dead easy to study.  Either a quick wave of your wand or a good set of nimble fingers set you in the right direction.  Potions, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Astronomy were harder to know your way around – they all involved remembering specific orders and positioning, steady minds, quick reactions…

… But she couldn't be bothered right now, not to worry about exams and work.  Ron and Harry scribbled and scribbled like mice scurrying about in the attic, the _scratch, scratch, scratch_ of quills on parchment, pages of the books turning back and forth as people hurried to get as much done now so they wouldn't have to do much for homework, it all seemed so silly to not join in.

_Oh God isn't it just a little easy?_ She wondered. _I'm not worrying; we have four months to plan and that's only for task one! I could do that right now with McGonagall's desk and make it covered with ancient runes and all sorts of stuff to make it as decorative as she wants! As for making it walk and… and perhaps make it open its drawers for her, that just takes a little more concentration and time.  I can do this, no problem._

Just then the door opened and Professor Sinistra in all her pale blue robes glided in, she went straight to McGonagall who was quietly marking some third year essays.  Sinistra bent down to whisper in her ear.  Neville, who always sat very close to the front out of habit just in case he'd break anything or need help, picked up little, but enough to find out why Draco never turned up to class.

"Something, something, wandering about in the Entrance Hall, er, bit delusional, I think that's what she said.  She said he couldn't attend lessons today because he had to lie down in the Medical Wing." Neville told the rest of the Gryffindors later during free time.  They didn't really make a point in gathering personal information about others – especially about a Slytherin whom they all hated – because they knew they had to respect certain boundaries, but they all agreed that it was extremely strange behaviour for Malfoy.  Dean Thomas had heard it too since he sat next to Neville in Transfiguration so it was obviously true.

"Bleedin' weirdos the lot of them." Ron grumbled as he sat down before the Gryffindor fireplace with Harry and Hermione, the rest of the Gryffindors off doing something else and leaving them three alone. "They all turn bad and then go mad."

"I can believe that." Said Harry.

"Hm,"

"What's wrong with you Hermione? You were alright until we got back here,"

"What are you talking about Ron?"

"You're all quiet – it's annoying.  You hardly done any work in Transfiguration and in Charms it was like you was away somewhere else."

"Oh, sorry." Ron sighed.

"I think we should get ready for double Potions next.  Did you do the homework Snape set us over the holidays?" Harry said to Ron who suddenly went as pale as a sheet. "You didn't…?" Ron slammed his palm into his face.

"I bloody well _knew_ I'd forgotten to do something!"

_"Oh Ron,"_ Harry and Hermione groaned.

"You'll get detention for a week! Scrubbing the underside of the tables, scraping the muck from the bottom of Snape's ingredient jars!" Ron groaned loudly.

"Why did I forget to do my homework? _Why…?"_

"Well there's no use grumbling about it now, come on, we've got a Potions lesson to attend." She slung her school bag over her shoulder and the three left the Common room.

"Nice to see you're talking again at least." Ron said smiling.

**_Let me_**_out__ let me _**_out!_**_ Please let me _**_out!_**_I want to get__out!! _

_                               **Can you hear me Draco?**_

_                                                                 **Do you know what this is??             **Not this, I'm not here I'm not here…_

**_                                                                                             I know the blood in you - you will be mine eventually_**

****_  Why am I here? I _**_sho_****_uld_****_n't_**_be__here!___

**_ Why, you are here, with us, one of us…_**

_                                     This was a long __time__ ago! I've already __told **you**__ I don't _**_want to!_**__

_                           **No I'm not! I'm not!**_

_"You don't know.  You'll never know."_

_   **Stupid fool, just like his father!**_

**_                                             Take him! Hold him! This will hurt boy!_**

_PLEASE! I don't __want__ to be here anymore!! _**_Let me _****_out!!_**__

**_NO! I don't want to! I will _****_not!_**

Draco snapped awake and screamed.  It was the first time he had woken screaming since a nightmare he had when he was eight, he screamed so loud now that it shocked Madam Pomfrey who had been straightening pillows on another bed.

"_Good_ness gracious me! What on earth was that?" She exclaimed rushing over to Draco.  He was in a hospital bed and still shaking, but recovering quickly.  Madam Pomfrey gently pushed him back down onto the pillows and fussed about making sure he was calming down. "Gosh, well that was a short nap, had a nightmare I suspect - probably something to do with your strange behaviour.  Feeling better now? Back to the real world Draco?" He took in all the surroundings and was trying to deny himself being there, but where had he been? Images of the past were suddenly popping up and tormenting him, it had felt so _real_…

He lay back and didn't say a word, he didn't think to look at Pomfrey and confirm to her that he was back, but where from he couldn't tell, she just kept talking to him but he didn't hear her words.  His head ached and throbbed, his heart was beating unusually faster and all his muscles felt as weak as jelly.  All the time he just lay in a haze, trying to think why he was there but finding it so increasingly difficult that in less than five minutes of him waking he just closed his eyes…

… But did not sleep.  Just lay quietly, calmly…

Twenty minutes later Madam Pomfrey came back in with a potion, it was in a little drinking cup and fizzing bubbles flew up, out and away occasionally singing as they went.  She put it down on the table by Draco's bed.

"Master Malfoy, are you awake? You need to drink this to recover your strength," She tapped his shoulder, "Master Malfoy, Draco…?" He grumbled weakly, but it was a definite: _" I don't want to get up"_ kind of teenage grumble.

"Now, now Draco, you've come in here on account of acting very strange in the Entrance Hall instead of being at normal lessons, did you realise who it was who found you?" No answer, just a couple of feeble eye twitches, Pomfrey took this as his way of acknowledging that he was listening. "Filch found you, just walking about like you were drunk, dragging your feet and mumbling a lot.  What was that all about? Have you been drinking? Smoking some sort of weed?"

"No…" He mumbled.

"Then what was wrong with you? I feel quite silly myself for not knowing, and me saying that after years as a nurse here and what about those marks on your wrists?" She babbled on,

"…Go away… silly old woman…" He blacked out before he heard her comment on what he'd just said.

Hours later, after all the lessons of the day had ended, it was nearing time for evening dinner in the Great Hall.  Usually all teachers attended on important occasions but on normal days the only members of staff who usually ate with the students in the hall were Sprout, Flitwick, (Dumbledore like to attend a lot but decided not to tonight) and occasionally the present Dark Arts teacher – this year it was a fierce looking old man with flaming red hair and very sharp green eyes, he walked with a limp and a cane and his name was Professor Reapher.  It had been made quite clear when he arrived late last night that he was an ex-Auror and so well prepared to teach Defence against the Dark Arts.  Today Professor McGonagall and Professor Sinistra joined Sprout, Flitwick and Reapher at the staff table to eat dinner, it had been an alright first day back; no trouble at all with any of the students and it seemed all the new first years were getting on well settling in.

Cecelia walked into the hall with Lucy Bassinroar, the curly black-haired girl with red rosy cheeks and blue eyes, Rachel Hartley who looked very drab and plain, but she had proven to be a great listener and could think up the best activities during free time, and Roger Prutts who had seemed to attach himself suddenly like he thought he belonged there. The three girls didn't really mind his company because he was funny and friendly, Roger had short light brown hair that suddenly sprouted a very cute, thin little pigtail at the back of his head. (A/N Obi-WAN!!!!! So cute! ^_~)

They sat down together at the Hufflepuff table and ate, chatting jovially with each other.

"Well I'm pure," Lucy said, "But my cousin isn't – he's in Ravenclaw, third year."

"What's his name?" Lucy pointed him out,

"Jack."

"What about you, Roger?" Rachel asked sweetly.

"I'm a pure blood too, my family's real old, come from somewhere up in Scotland I think."

"You don't sound Scottish, where's your accent?" Cecelia stated,

"No, that's because I've lived down in the south all my life, my dad though – he's got such a strong accent, sometimes even I find it hard to make out what he's saying!" They all laughed.  Suddenly, not ten minutes since they first walked in something was happening up at the staff table, McGonagall screamed and soon all the teachers had jumped back away from the table as across the white cloth deep red blood was spreading, underneath the plates and goblets and over the table edge to fall onto the cold stone floor.  It was real blood, not an illusion, _real_ blood.  Then the students panicked and got away from their tables as they too saw blood appearing where they ate.

"Return to your common rooms!" McGonagall ordered. "You can finish your dinner there!" The Prefects present led their house members away. "I'll get Dumbledore…" McGonagall's breath was staggering, but she was strong enough to stride off to the headmaster's office.

"I think he may have lost some blood; his wrists have been cut quite clearly.  And his _robes_ are in a _terrible_ state! I don't know when or why he's got them so mucky!"

"Hm, yes…"

"Cut wrists will explain his weakness, which will go as soon as he regains his required blood level.   It's only a wait now, but that doesn't explain why he was acting so strangely in the Entrance Hall this morning.  Filch believes firmly that he was drunk and out to cause mischief but you know how Filch can be sometimes."

"Indeed, well thank you for telling me Poppy, I shall send an owl home to his parents informing them of this event and maybe they can shed a little light on the problem."

"Yes, Dumbledore."

"Wish him luck from me when he comes round."

"I will."

"Good bye, I've got lots of things to attend to today what with the Ministry having fits over the rise of Lord Voldemort again." Pomfrey winced at hearing the name.  Dumbledore left the Medical Wing.  Then Reapher came in, limping towards Draco's bed every _thud_ of his hard wooden cane _clunk_ing down on the floor every other step he took.

"You are the new Dark Arts professor?"  Pomfrey frowned.

"That I am my dear lady." He growled through his perfect white teeth, though he seemed harsh and haggard with old age and a lifetime's experiences, Reapher still looked as noble and fine as he ever did as a younger man.  He had money it was known, but where it was no one was sure because unlike nearly everyone else he didn't trust Gringotts to be completely safe from thieves.  A lot of people didn't get on too well with Mort Reapher, perhaps most of the immediate distrust came when his name came up and with him being an old ex-Auror with tons of experience fighting Death Eaters and other such criminals, no, most people didn't get on well with the old boy at all.

"What brings you here? Are you sick?" Poppy hoped.

"No, no Madam Pomfrey, I am here because all the tables in the Great Hall were suddenly and mysteriously swamped in fresh blood…" Pomfrey waited anxiously to wonder about the way Reapher lowered his voice to a cryptic whisper.

"… Blood?" Was all she could muster up.

"Yes blood!" He snapped dramatically, "While Professors M'Gonagall whisked away to fetch the Headmaster and the children were all sent away to their dorms, I hung around a little while longer inspecting the scene of the crime-"

"You think it was a crime then Mr Reapher, sir?" She found a lot of the things about him strange and peculiar, like the way he always said 'professors' and seemed to enjoy acting out as if he were in his own drama series.

"-A crime! Yes and Professors Sprout, Flizwick-"

"That's _Flit_wick-"

"-Flitwick, yes, and that Professors Sinister could only gabble and wonder about it all, I noticed that a very cryptic message had appeared across the chairs belonging to each of the Heads of the Houses."

"Mr Reapher, shouldn't you be telling all of this to Dumbledore and not to me in the medical Wing? I think he'd know what to do about it more than I would."

"But you don't see, the message was clear for only a few seconds before the blood it was spelled out with ran off over the chairs.  On Professors Snape, M'Gonagall, _Flit_wick and Sprout's chairs were all the same message," He pulled out a notepad from his pocket inside his robes:

_smaerd ruoy stnuah taht ma I_

"You were quick then but I think that maybe it wasn't really spelling anything out, that lot makes no sense."

"Ah, but what if you turn it around?" He flipped the paper to the next sheet:

_I am that haunts your dreams_

Pomfrey had to agree, that definitely made much more sense.

"You're very good at this stuff I take it, but why are you here?"

"Because, after that message faded away and before I'd figured it out another clue led me to the Medical Wing where I knew a boy had been taken to early this morning.  I would be correct in thinking that this lad is one Draco Malfoy?" He said walking to the side of the occupied bed where its current occupier was still dozing thanks to the effect of the potion Pomfrey had given him.

"Yes…?"  She felt uneasy in Reapher's presence and strangely protective over Draco so she stepped between them.

"He has lost a lot of blood overnight, mysteriously, not turning up to lessons the first morning back from the holidays and found wandering aimlessly about on his own, down in the Entrance Hall without a clue where he was or who he was is that all correct?"

"How did you-"

"_This_ is how my detective work led me to believe that the cause of all the troubles at evening dinner were conducted by Master Malfoy," Reapher pulled out a blood stained old dagger from his robes and threw it point down onto the bedside table so that it wobbled with a _twang_ deeply embedded within the wood. "This dagger came flying down from the ceiling above and was aimed directly at the seat where Headmaster Dumbledore would have been sitting _if _the man had decided not to continue working in his office, it hit the place where Dumbledore's head would have been with such force that the blade went all the way through to the back of the chair.  It would have cut clean through Dumbledore's _skull."  _The effective pause he left after the word _skull, _ tipped Pompfrey over her line of patience;

"Mr Reapher I ask you to leave this Medical Wing immediately, or stop babbling such rubbish about murderous intentions of an almost seventeen year old boy who doesn't have anything to worry about except his N.E.W.T's in June and who is currently trying to recover from serious loss of blood-"

"_That_ he gave up to stain the hall with-"

"_Nonsense_ and _poppycock!_ He couldn't have lost so much to do such a thing!"

"Not, if he used the right spells!"

"What spells would a Seventh year possibly know to commit such crimes?"

"You're forgetting he's a Malfoy…" Pomfrey shut her mouth.  Yes he was a Malfoy and that would mean – if what they said was true – that Draco was already far more knowledgeable than most about the Dark Arts than others in his year.

"How much blood has the boy lost?"

"A lot, enough to render him very weak."

"He could have used the Cloning Spell – which is not on the syllabus for Seventh years am I correct?"

"No, they're not taught it."

"Well, him being a Malfoy and it is considered against the law to use the spell... It's rather easy to perform.  Maybe he lost a lot of blood and then used the spell to duplicate that amount into maybe ten times its original quantity, fixing it with another spell to reappear on all the tables at precisely the right time when Dumbledore would be there.  As for his wounds, one quick repair with a wave of his wand fixed that and he returned to his dorms to recover."

"This is ludicrous!" Pomfrey shook her head and got herself between Reapher and the bed – _Yikes I didn't realise he's so tall_. "Reapher please leave now, I won't believe this tale anymore!  You're disturbing me and Draco, now go!" He looked sceptically at her, but took her orders seriously and left, clunking with his cane as he went.

Within the night Draco had almost recovered his strength again, but was suffering badly from a painful headache and severe stomach aches.  Pomfrey just didn't know what to do but before mid morning Dumbledore suddenly breezed in with Lucius Malfoy trailing behind, his eyes set darkly ahead of him.

"Draco, your father's here." Dumbledore said. Pomfrey took the moment to quietly slip out with Dumbledore and they left Lucius inside the room.  Through Draco's agonized groans Lucius spoke, his voice steady and flat with emotion.

"What's wrong with you all of a sudden then…?" He suspected the cause but didn't want to reveal to anyone what he knew - he was a traitor after all, to both sides.

"Why are you here?"

"…Dumbledore owled me.  Told me you were sick."

"That's not all… I think I'm going mad…"

"No one in our family goes mad."

"Oh good, then…" Draco's head hurt more and his ears began to ring, he could hear his heart beat and felt the _thud thud thud _of blood as it pumped around his hot ears.

"Draco…?" He couldn't here anymore, couldn't even care anymore…**_ Let me_**_out__ let me _**_out!_**_ Please let me _**_out!_**_I want to get__out!! _

"He's coming back home _tonight_." Lucius said firmly, they were still in the hospital wing.

"Are you sure that's wise? In his current condition?"

"Don't you try and stop me, _Nurse_, I will take Draco home immediately – it's clear this school is responsible for his sudden _freak_ illness."

"Please, Lucius, please let's take this elsewhere.  Shall we go to my office and discuss whatever you need to discuss?"  Lucius sneered.  Grumbled, then agreed and he swept out before Dumbledore.

"Do you want to go home?" She asked Draco when she was alone again, but the boy just lay there curled up in his blankets, face twisted in agony, twitching and shivering.

"Poor boy…" Madam Pomfrey reached for his forehead and felt his temperature. "Hmm, you're burning up more and more.  If you ask me you should remain here until…until you're better." There was nothing else Madam Pomfrey could think to do.

Draco did not leave with his father that night, another night's rest saw him active the next day and more irritated than sick about not being allowed to leave the medical wing until tomorrow.

"We have to make sure you're fully recovered, think of it as a nice day off school."

"What fun could I possibly have spending a whole day in this bed?" Draco snapped.

"My rules, be quiet and grateful of your recovery." Draco stayed in the medical wing all day, but not in the bed despite how many times Pomfrey kept returning to put him back in it. When it was finally night time, Pomfrey came to check up on him one last time and then turned off the lights.

In the dark, Draco felt a headache coming upon him again...

Draco got up and dressed, went across to the window and pulled it open.  He clambered up and out onto the grass outside and strolled casually across the lawns down to the lake.

Then stopped.

Draco shook his head, blinked twice and looked all about him as if he'd never been there before.

_Wuh-what? What am I doing here...? _

The lake was cold and still, faint ripples lapped at the bank.  The calm water looked ominous in the moonlight.

_I'm not understanding this…"there's nothing to understand"…yeah, you're right, wait, who is this? "Let me show you"_

For Draco, his world became distorted and the image of the lake merged with the shadows of the far off trees, painting a picture of a black grave, open and with such depths he felt if he fell in now, he'd never stop falling. He stepped back quickly from the pit and fell back into another. The air rushed past him and though he wanted to say something at this point he couldn't bring out any sound from his suddenly dry throat, he watched the square patch of light above flew teasingly away from him. He tried to scream - nothing! His arms flailed to the sides hoping to grasp on anything – a root perhaps? It was getting colder, the air was now scorching his cheeks as it whizzed past, where was he falling to? Would this endless drop into darkness never end?

The pit was getting narrower; his legs and arms kept hitting and scraping down the earth, he heard it crumble above and realised with deathly fear that the grave was filling in on him! A sudden halting stop in a quagmire of earth and worms brought him to scream out in pain and he cried pitifully for help, splashing about in the bog to cling to the sides only to slip back into the centre where he was sure the water was growing deeper and filthier.  The mud from the sides was falling in and hitting him, still he scrambled to the sides and cried for help.  Why was there no help? How did he fall in here? Where was he trapped?

The miniscule dot of light disappeared as the grave collapsed in over his head.

Hermione was out walking alone tonight.  She just hadn't been able to concentrate at all since returning to Hogwarts.  She didn't know what it was that was troubling her so much.  Shopping in Diagon Alley was pleasant enough, then their little wander along Evisnep Alley had been a bad idea, especially when surprise-surprise Draco's smirking face had appeared to make some smart-Alec comment on how much more money he had compared to them.  Now she thought about it she couldn't remember what he had said exactly, strange that, she had a perfect memory for things (so everybody said) but she couldn't remember anything they argued about.

Since the beginning of her sixth year, Hermione had taken to wandering around Hogwarts on her own in between times when Harry and Ron had invited her along for a sneak about the place.  It had suddenly seemed so childish to her to do so, so for a long time she hadn't gone out under the invisibility cloak with the boys because… well because things were _different_ now.  Hermione sighed and leaned against the wall of the castle nearby the greenhouses.

She had matured and Harry and Ron, still acted like little boys.  They said girls matured before boys…maybe it was true.  She had broke up with Ron before the Christmas of their sixth year, it was a bit heartless to do so, so close to the holiday but she couldn't stand it any longer; Ron was still as stubborn as ever and his childish grudge against the Malfoys was really getting her down.  She hated the Malfoys of course, but she refrained from ever acting out on her hate any more than the occasional slap she would give to the self-centred stuck up snob.

Besides, she couldn't deny to herself any longer that she wasn't in love with Ron as a partner, but as a friend, and… it felt terrible to admit it, but she was already longing for the attentions of someone else in her life.  There were many attractive boys in her year (and maybe a good few in the year below) but none matched the attraction of one…

Hermione sighed and shook her head; she felt so foolish.

… Draco Malfoy.

There, she'd said it to herself; the guy was as hot as, as… as nothing else she could think of right that moment._  Damn! Talk about Romeo and Juliet! Star crossed lovers? Me and Draco? It'd never happen in a million years._  He was the most Slytherin of all Slytherins and she was best friends with _Harry Potter_. The two were like mortal enemies, just like Snape and James Potter, things like that never finished.  Anyway, Drcao was an idiot, a stuck-up spoilt brat with no manners and not a bit of care for anyone else except himself! She really wasn't doubtful that he'd not turn into his father – a Death Eater and just as bad a snob as his son.

But was his rougish nature the reason why she was so attracted to him...?  Then there was the memory of seeing him alone and isolated in the library,  it kept coming back to her whenever she tried to stop thinking about him...it was so sad and mysterious; no-one knew why there was this sudden incredible change in Draco's behaviour - he even stopped picking on the younger years, even his daily tauntings to Ron and Ginny had been cut down and when he did choose to taunt...

... it didn't seem as though his heart was in it anymore. 

Hermione sighed again and wrapped her cloak tighter around her, she decided to go for a walk around the lake.

…The pressure on his body was immense and frightening… the air was thin and stank of filth and earth, worms, roots, maggots… it was freezing… wet… half buried in the bog…eyes tightly kept shut as was his mouth…dark…

…alone…

…help…                     _Why am I here? W**h**_**_y _****_am _****_I_**_here__?                    _…dying…

…mad…going mad…**_                   Let me_**_out__ let me _**_out!_**            …help…

…help…

_…Please…someone…get me out…_

(**Green Pig:- ** Please review!!! Do you think my chapters are too long? Should I make entries shorter? ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY? Then review!!! ^_^)


	6. Vision in the Fire

**_DISCLAIMER:_**_Harry Potter is not mine, I'm writing this for my own pleasure.BOOK FIVE OUT IN JUNE!!! OMG OMG!!!!! ::faints from excitement::_

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**_(Green Pig ~PROUD Hufflepuff~:_**_ Howdy-ho! Hey it's been a while hasn't it? Oh my God I realised I had to get a new chapter up so I wrote this as fast as I could, it was supposed to be **'Blood Falls – Part Two'** but I decided to just have it as a slotted-in chapter from the point of view of Harry, Ron and Hermione.It's the shortest chapter so far – shorter even that 'Day out in Diagon Alley' wow I never thought I'd do that again!_

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_Ok so next chapter shall go back to the point of view of Draco and it SHALL be called '**Blood Falls – Part Two'.**_ Hopefully I shall finally get round to the ACTION and HORROR side of this story by the end of the next chapter hehe, so until then, hope you enjoy this little part (even though it's short I think it's quite good) I believe my writing style has altered slightly since I wrote the very first chapter of this fanfic – what do you reckon?

Anyhoo, shan't keep you, thank you to my wonderful reviewers – NekoNinja and HermioneFan in particular 'casue you keep coming back! – and to you if you're new ^___~ and don't forget that you gotta review at the end or else you'll upset me!!)

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Chapter Six

# Vision in the Fire

Hermione had been walking around the lake for almost ten minutes.She came out from the shadow of the forest trees and stopped to look up at the castle.It was an idyllic scene; the tiny windows gleamed golden light and the moonlight had made the grass silvery-blue.She turned after a long moment of deep uncomplicated thought to gaze out over the water of the wide and black lake.

It was the first time she had properly taken in the beauty of the castle grounds.Hermione breathed in slowly and gently and breathed out with as much care – she felt very peaceful.

But this silence was rudely interrupted; she spun round in the direction of whoever had screamed so piercingly into the night and was shocked to see that it was none other than Draco Malfoy – striding out from the darkness of distant shadows coming quickly towards her with arms outstretched, but it was not just his manner that had frightened her so much:

_Draco's eyes were hollow and black, not a glint of a human eye was where it should have been – it was like they had been plucked right out without any mess._Hermione felt her very inner soul being strangely drawn into to that powerful darkness of where his eyes should have been, but something at the back of her mind rang alarm bells and without knowing why until she was safely back in the Gryffindor common room, she turned and ran as fast as she could from him.__

Crookshanks yowled at her feet and rubbed against her trembling body but received nothing back from Hermione.She didn't feel right at all – it was like her whole body had come in close contact with… a Dementor – or something much worse, but she couldn't think straight any more; there were too many questions and images floating in her mind.Images of, she couldn't describe it, even to herself… it was just _odd…_

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She involuntarily shivered and sat down onto the couch in front of the fire, staring into the flames as if she was trying to find the answer in the embers.She randomly remembered something she'd read about in a book somewhere that ancient prophets used to do this to see the future or find the answers to any difficult questions they came across.Merlin was said to have done it.Maybe she shouldn't have quit Divination – right now she could do with a teacup full of leaves to gaze into; she felt her mind turning to a soft haze that would have been familiar to her if she'd been up into Trelawney's tower in recent years.Sometimes she wondered why Ron and Harry had stuck with it, but as her thoughts trailed off into idleness a sudden, distressing image pierced through her mind and it made her heart falter:

_She saw Draco coming towards her as he had been outside; eyes hollow and empty of all emotion, but he wasn't outside by the lake – he was stepping from the shadows of a dungeon corridor and he had caught her in an overpowering grip, her whole body turned to ice and she was paralysed on the spot staring in terror at the endless blank of tormented space as he laid his lips on hers and she couldn't scream she couldn't do a thing-_

Ron was shaking her awake - Hermione gasped and wheezed; it was just like surfacing from the lake.

"Hermione what's wrong?" Ron asked anxiously stroking her forehead, "Crookshanks was in our dorm again so I came down chasing him out and you were just acting so _weird_-"

"Ron what happened? Where's Draco?" This quickly altered Ron's behaviour at once.

"What do you mean? Was he in here? Did you let him in?!"

"No, no Ron I-I don't know he, he was here he-" Ron's eyes narrowed questionably.

"Hermione… what's going on? What happened?"

"I was, just… I don't know I saw him, he was holding on so tight I couldn't shake him off, I couldn't! He was just too strong I-" Ron shook his head irritably.

"For God's sake Hermione I can't make any sense of what you're telling me! _Was he here? Did Draco get into the common room?"_ Hermione's face was awash with utter confusion and Ron could see that she didn't know."What **_happened?"_** He said slowly and Hermione told him all what had happened that she could remember.

"…So he _was_ in here…"

"No, no I saw him in the dungeon it wasn't here… but I don't know why he was there, why I was there, I wasn't there at all…"

"Hermione…"

"Yes?"

"It sounds like you just had a bad dream."Hermione sighed.

"No it was too real to be a dream.Ron don't you get it? I was out there tonight by the lake and he, he came straight for me Ron, I was so scared I just ran I didn't bother with any spells or questions I just instinctively ran for my life – I ran for my **_life,_** Ron."

"Okay, okay… look, we'll sort this out tomorrow.Tomorrow me and Harry – and you if you think he hasn't frightened you too much – will go up to him and find out what he was up to at the lake last night.Alright?"Hermione hung her head, feeling tired and confused.

"I don't understand what happened just now… Ron, when you came down, what was I doing?"Ron's ears went a shade redder.

"Er, well… you were erm." He looked down at her hands and she realised they were scorched and she was wearing Ron's pyjama top.She looked at the fire and then at the scattered embers on the rug.

"Ron…?"

"You were throwing yourself into the fire, your robes have been burnt, look…" He'd been going red because her robes had been burnt where they covered her front and – Ron didn't tell her the exact view he'd got when he pulled her back – but it was clear she'd new to buy some new shirts to cover parts she wouldn't want everyone to see.She blushed furiously when she realised what Ron must have seen and was extremely grateful he'd quickly and thoughtfully thrown his pyjama top on her.Of course now he was topless and she reddened even more but was angry with herself for thinking such thoughts – after all they had split and she liked Draco now… though she'd never seen Draco with his shirt off…

She realised Ron must have noticed the way she was staring at his muscles and he coughed nervously.

"Well erm, we should get off to bed.It's past midnight, don't want to be late for lessons tomorrow… erm, you can keep the shirt tonight, give it back to me in the morning.And don't go throwing yourself into the fire okay?" He said jokingly as he ascended the stairs to the seventh year boy's room.

Hermione clutched at the shirt and guiltily enjoyed the feel of Ron's warm fabric on her body.She blinked out of reminiscing the past with Ron as her boyfriend and turned back to look at the flames.They were still burning brightly and furiously.

What had she just encountered though?What had she seen…?She had an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach that things were going to get really complicated…

The next morning there was a notice pinned up on the inside of the Gryffindor common room entrance.Ron and Harry and Hermione squeezed themselves through the crowd to read the notice:

_All students are to remain in their common rooms until further notice – lessons are cancelled for the day._

Seamus Finnigan was trying to unlock the entrance with magic but with no luck, while the rest of the Gryffindors were complaining about being cooped up all day.

"It won't be all day, I bet they'll release us soon." Lavendar told Parvati with an air of one who knows-it-all

"What's going on?Why are we locked in?" Ron said.No one knew and it didn't seem likely they were going to be told.Breakfast had been sent straight up to the common room so there were no disgruntled stomachs, but now there was nowhere Ron and Hermione could discuss in private the previous night's activities with Harry.It would seem an interrogation with Draco Malfoy would have to wait.

Harry, Ron and Hermione reluctantly gave up trying to help Seamus unlock the entrance ('-must be a very strong locking spell but I'll break it-') and went up into the boy's dormitory to wait.Harry polished his Firebolt and Ron and Hermione took this brief moment of almost complete privacy to tell Harry about the night before – they had to keep their voices very low and pretended they were deeply interested in Harry's broomstick to hide what they were really talking about.

"Are you absolutely sure he wasn't in the common room last night?" Harry said sternly.

"Harry I'm sure, I don't know what happened while I was watching the fire but all I know is…" She paused because Neville came running up into the dorm.

"Hey guys! McGonagall's unlocked the entrance! We can all leave!" Neville skipped off back down the stairs and the three could hear the rest of the Gryffindors chatting happily again as they filed out.It was nearing midday now so with no lessons (for whatever mysterious reason) it seemed everyone was off to have a little gossip wherever they could find a free spot.

"Hermione, carry on." Harry said once it seemed everyone had left.

"… Well I don't know what it was, but I felt like I'd been almost touched by a Dementor when I saw Draco coming at me out by the lake but…What I saw in the common room, in the fire-"

"Aha! You said _'what I saw in the fire'_ – you're starting to sound like Trelawney with those words!Are you trying to tell us you had a vision?"

"Ron! Don't interrupt her!" Harry snapped (he'd been getting quite snappy in the last year – especially at Ron).

"Well sorry but, maybe she _did_ have a vision, of the future or something,"

"That's ridiculous, Trelawney told me in front of everyone the day I walked out of her classroom that I had no talent at all with the inner eye, it's all nonsense!I ask you, Divination is hardly what I'd call a useful subject.I didn't see a vision of anything-"

"Then what _did_ you see?" Hermione frowned at Ron."We all know that in our third year, Harry saw Trelawney make an _accurate_ prediction about Wormtail returning to You-Know-Who on the very night she said he would and now you see something funny in fire – which is another way of seeing things with your inner eye remember? God Hermione you were the one who told us last year about Merlin the Magician using embers of a fire to see things others couldn't."Both Harry and Hermione seemed to consider this opinion but while Harry logged it away as something-that-might-come-up-in-the-future, Hermione laughed and waved her hand in a gesture that showed she didn't believe it at all and was sweeping it away.

"Ron, I don't know what happened last night but I did not, _did not_, have a vision.It's not possible – for anybody to have a vision-"

"But what about Trelawney's prediction about Wormtail?" Ron pressed.Hermione sighed exasperatedly and got up.

"I'm sorry but this is ridiculous.I'm going to the library to do some homework – lessons may have been cancelled for the day (for whatever mysterious reason) but we still have a Potions task to complete." Hermione swept out and Ron clicked his fingers remembering about Snape's homework.

"Damn, coming Harry?"

"Yeah alright." He began to put away his broomstick servicing kit."Y'know, she _still _hasn't told us exactly what happened to her in that '_vision'_' from the fire." Harry said walking out with Ron. "Think we can wheedle it out of her before lunch?"

"Bet I'll do it before you can!"


	7. A MESSAGE FROM ME!

_A Message from Green Pig about the delay of **'Chapter Seven – Blood Falls PART TWO'**:_

*Is pulling all her hair out* _ARRGHH!!_ _I'm working on it! I'm working on it!_  **But it is so hard!** I've left writing this for so long I need to remind myself what's happened and what I was going to put in the next chapter!!! EEP! I feel so bad! _I'm really, really sorry!_ I know I've been lazy with this fanfic, but I DO still love this!

I'm just finding it tough to get through this part of the story, because I never really thought about what happens BEFORE the really big evil/angsty/romance stuff comes in **(hopefully by chapter 8!!)**, and it's just a struggle to crawl through all the really boring plot building beginning… ok, so it's not *totally* boring I mean, I have enjoyed what I've written so far and I'm quite proud of chapters 4 and 6 ^^ but enough of that, what's important right now is that you people need to know why I'm so slow at updating this fanfic…

OKAY, Unfortunately when I started writing this fanfic I had great hopes and dreams to write something _so_ good it would be known and loved all over the net! *Brutally bludgeons head with spanner* Well, don't we all who start off writing fanfiction…? No…? Is it just me…? *Feels really stoopid* Oh well… V_V The point is, I had a great start, all the way up to the point where Draco got back to school, which is basically where the whole fanfic is based onwards… sooo that's when things started going wrong, or at least very complicated :S  Firstly I DO KNOW what will happen eventually, let's just say I got the **beginning**, the **end of the middle** and **near the end of the end** worked out… does that make sense? There's just a gap where I am now where I'm patching things all up that has happened in the beginning chapters, i.e. tying up loose ends e.t.c and working out how I can connect what I have to the whole huge evil/angsty/romance part that I have completely worked out.  It's all there, because I've been running through those scenes in my head for the past year whenever I got bored during class – like a portable private T.V in my brain I could sit back and watch again and again, ahh yes bliss, evil evilness running around in my brain… hehe…

OH YEAH, back to this message *ahem*, I don't want to make it seem as though I'm listing everything but I really need to get this out in the open or else you'll all hate me.

Right, reviews from a number of people disturb me now because they always make me feel so guilty rather than happy that they are enjoying my fanfic.  Examples:

**Riverchic1998**

**Great story. I hope that you go on! PLEASE?????????**

**Shrev**

**please continue!! this is really good!!!**

Chia 

**Please update soon! I'm dieing to find out what happens next!**

I'm getting more depressed when I think of this fanfic these days because updates are so far between I JUST FEEL SO GUILTY!! I'm having real trouble!!

I introduced new characters, like **Cecelia** and **Darklis** who did have a huge part to play in the original idea for the fanfic, but as I've gone and changed so much of what happens in the later chapters their roles have er, been considerably lightened.  To be honest I forgot about them *hides head in shame* BUT I have gone over the plot AGAIN and they are being brought back in at some point _(psst chapter 8! O.o)_.  **Mort Reapher** just popped into my head as I was writing chapter 5, I was just trying to create a name for the new DADA teacher and he is what I came up with…

_This year it was a fierce looking old man with flaming red hair and very sharp green eyes, he walked with a limp and a cane and his name was Professor Reapher. It had been made quite clear when he arrived late last night that he was an ex-Auror and so well prepared to teach Defence against the Dark Arts._

**HermioneFan**

**Mort Reapher ... Hmmm, clever name. Mort means death, doesn't it? And the Grim Reaper, I suppose. He reminds me a bit of Mad Eye - I think it's just the clunk.**

Thank you HermioneFan, yes I think this was the best review I had in a LONG time, mainly because you said something other than: "THIS IS GOOD", not saying I don't like those kind of reviews, it's just nice when someone says a little more ^_~ Well, when I created him on that strange day, I suddenly had a rush of ideas and I really don't know why I made him sound so much like Moody, guess it was just something that happened, but he does have two legs ok, just walks with the aid of a cane.

I've got to say now that he really doesn't have much to do with the plot, to be honest and I'm going to say RIGHT NOW, **Mort Reapher doesn't have ANYTHING to do with the plot**.  He's just someone, who has something…interesting to reveal at some point… *looks hesitant* I'm not telling though hehe…__

So don't worry too much about Mort, he'll just be there hanging around as another teacher.

Oh darn now you're all probably angry with me because that was kinda revealing something big wasn't it? Oh well, sue me, I said it now, it's my fanfic I can tell anyone whatever I want about it!

ANYWAY, basically I'm trying to say that I've put in a lot of little things that I planned to do something big with later, but I forgot about them *pulls out spanner again*, and so I'm having a hard time getting all these little details together again AND I've even had to start writing long chapter step-by-step plans for upcoming chapters that incorporate all these little things… so there's a lot of work I need to do to wrap it all up as nicely as possible without it all sounding rushed and disjointed.

WELL, to finish off, _'Chapter Seven – Blood Falls Part Two'_ is currently being written and I shall continue with it first thing tomorrow morning because I don't have the patience for it tonight (long talk with Dumbledore = S L O W)… At the end of Chapter 7 (which shall be a return to chapter lengths such as chapter 4/5 because I'm sure the last two chapters were too short for you), the action will start I PROMISE.  The weird stuff starts to happen and hopefully I'll make some people cry out with fear and SHOCK because something very big will happen… hehehe, that is, unless I find that chapter 7 is already far too long to include that planned ending, in which case it will run into chapter 8 and what I have planned for chapter 8 will probably run into chapter 9 which I HAVEN'T planned yet…

I'm sorry, now I'm rambling on and you're probably really bored of me now, I'm sorry about thee being no updated chapter but **I AM WORKING ON IT** and hopefully I'll get it posted by next week ^^

**Don't hesitate** to email if you want to help be a beta reader for me or if you're just too impatient to wait to find out what happens, if you're nice and persistent on msn I might just let a few things slip… I'm easily persuaded…

~Green Pig ~PROUD~ Hufflepuff


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